Isaac Bayoh, who now works with Médicos del Mundo, looks at the trauma caused by the Ebola outbreak
Many things have changed here in Sierra Leone since I last wrote at Easter, when three-day lockdowns were being used to contain the virus. Since then we, Ebola response workers, have had strong psychosocial support from international organisations and it has helped greatly knowing that the stigma and trauma we went through is being recognised.
It’s been hard seeing friends you’ve worked with, who left behind everything to help end this outbreak, die from the very virus they had stood up to fight against. Those moments where we all stood together will remain with me forever.
It wasn’t easy to work against Ebola – but somebody had to help those in need. My wife and family are always worried, knowing how this virus is. I isolate myself for a few hours every day when I return from work. But that has been changing as it has been a long time since we have had any positive cases in this part of the country (the southern region).
We have spent months fighting this virus. We started out fighting an enemy we had little idea about. We have endured this terrible experience and have come to a point where we have almost won the battle. Our lives have been reshaped, and our ideas and beliefs about the world have totally changed.
Many made great sacrifices to help end this virus: they left their homes and never returned; they gave up everything because they saw someone in need.
Let it be remembered that we are people of resilience. With all our differences, we stood as one to bring this outbreak to an end.
We are not who we used to be. People have yet to recover from the attack. The world might be relaxing, thinking we have almost got there, but that is the danger of this virus. While you are sleeping – thinking, “Yes, we are almost there” – that is when it claims another innocent life.
With major restrictions in the country lifted, we reached the moment when we were finally without any new infections and the last patients were being discharged – it was very good news. We thought we were almost there, finally totally free from Ebola. Then the virus struck again, bringing us crashing back to earth. People are starting to worry because of the latest confirmed case from Bombali district of a 16-year-old girl who is far from the recent Ebola hotspots, with no history of travelling to any of these areas.
The impact on survivors has been great. First they have had to go through a difficult treatment; often being discriminated against by community members and even losing loved ones to the virus. Now some are also having to go through the negative reaction from physically overcoming the virus.
They can no longer do what they used to do before. The help they had when they were discharged is no longer there and some struggle to feed themselves. Many are at risk of going blind. Some, living in remote places with very bad road access to the nearest health centres, have a greater chance of developing other diseases that could eventually kill them.
While many survivors are leading normal lives, there are still those who are suffering without others knowing. Those who’ve been through the trauma of surviving Ebola deserve a better life. Many have spent their lives in poverty with little or nothing to eat or with which to maintain their families. With the arrival of this virus, everything has been put on hold.
In Sierra Leone, life can never be fully okay knowing we still have this virus around. But life is better than death, as they say, so I am grateful to be alive to continue the struggle.
Source: Guardian
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