Ebola Strikes Liberia, Joe Kappia is Witness
September 19, 2014
Lincoln English teacher Mr. Joe Kappia found himself in the close vicinity of a deadly virus this summer.
Kappia, a native of the West African nation Liberia, took an eight day trip to the country’s capital of Monrovia in July, to bring his sister’s body back home for burial and be with his family.
Although he was aware of the intense outbreak of Ebola that had been infecting the nation’s well-being since March 2014, the trip was an unavoidable necessity.
Ebola is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of several “ebolaviruses” and spread by direct contact with a sick person’s blood or bodily fluids. It can also be transferred by contact with contaminated objects like needles, which turns even hospitals into breeding grounds for potential infection.
Kappia spoke to Lion Tales about his experiences with the outbreak during his recent trip, and the origin of the Ebola problem.
What region/s of Liberia did you travel to, and when?
“I was in Monrovia, Liberia. I was there in July. I was there for about 8 days. I do have family there, I have children attending university.”
Did you come across any restrictions that affected your trip?
“Before I left, the Ebola outbreak had already been reported in West Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. But I had to travel because my sister died here in Sacramento. I had to take her body over there for burial. When I got there, we took all the precautions, performed the ceremonies, stayed away from public because there was public education on the air, in the newspaper, on the radio, on TV telling people what to do and directing them to avoid infection.”
Do you recall any similar outbreaks of Ebola or other viruses from the years you lived in Liberia?
“No. Well, Ebola actually started in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. It started in the remote part of Congo in the high, forested, village region. And it didn’t spread. It killed people, but they were able to contain it. This outbreak in March took place in Guinea. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are bordering countries. The point where the three countries meet was where this outbreak was. It spread first to Sierra Leone, because a patient who was infected went to Sierra Leone for treatment. And the other patient who was infected went to Liberia to seek medical treatment in a nearby hospital. So this was how the Ebola spread.”
Were there any special precautions, for example at the border line when you arrived there and when you left?
“Before I leave, I always take my immunization shots, the shots that are prescribed for international travel. When you go out there, to protect you, you always do that here before you leave because you have that on your Yellow Card. And when I got there, we had to take precautions because measures were in place that every household should have a bucket of chlorinated water that you wash your hands in when you come in. If you go to any place, you have to wash your hands with chlorine water before you can enter, to avoid infection. People were also warned against gathering together in large groups, because they say Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids, bodily fluids of an infected person. So those measures were put in place to avoid contact with people who you don’t know who might be carrying Ebola.”
How is the medical system in Liberia dealing with this outbreak?
“The doctors and the nurses who are treating these people in the hospitals were not aware, just like any common disease, because Ebola has all the characteristics of Malaria, Cholera, Diarrhea, and Typhoid. And these are common tropical diseases in West Africa, and they are most prevalent during summer, during the rainy season. Ebola came at that time. So it’s very easy to confuse Malaria with Ebola. Because of the symptoms– vomiting, running stomach, change in body mechanism, weakness– these are all symptoms of Ebola. It was very difficult for the health workers to differentiate between the two. That’s how most of them got infected. So when the patient walks into the hospital, they want to take your temperature, they want to feel your pulse. You have to use your hands, without gloves. If you are carrying Ebola without them knowing, even touching their body could result in infection.”
Is there anybody you know personally who has been affected by Ebola?
“No, because the region where Ebola originated in Liberia was far from Monrovia. People only traveled from that region to the city to seek medical benefit, so it was between where Ebola originated from and the medical facilities where they went to seek treatment. If you don’t have anybody in your family infected with Ebola, you have no problem because you’re not coming in close contact. You only get Ebola if you come in close contact with someone infected with Ebola, and that could be either someone in your household or those who work in the medical facilities.”
What was the atmosphere like in the city streets of Monrovia?
“No infected people running around on the streets. These were health workers; I was there when the medical doctor died, because he was treating patients in his care. He didn’t know himself that he had Ebola. Only later did he find out that these people were all infected with Ebola, and they all had common origin. They were all coming from one area of the country to seek medical attention in the city. That’s how Ebola spread [to the city].”
What is your overall impression of the whole Ebola story?
“The Ebola story has laid bare the needs of these countries in West Africa. Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea have gone through civil wars. During the civil wars, medical institutions were destroyed. Schools were destroyed. All the public infrastructure were destroyed. These countries are coming from the ashes of war. They are trying to revive their economies, and the Ebola came at a time when all these institutions are not functioning properly. As a result, they are completely overwhelmed in responding to the treatment of Ebola. That is why the U.S. government and the international community stepped in to help. President Obama said he was going to send 3000 medical experts in the military to go and set up treatment centers and train people how to cut off the spread of the disease. There is an upsurge of support. The World Bank has come out with aid to these countries; more than a hundred million dollars. The report from the WHO [World Health Organization] yesterday indicated that over 5000 people have been infected by the disease, and over 2000 have died, and the highest number is coming from Liberia.”
“Ebola is not an airborne disease. At first, the international community was scared because of one person who left Liberia and went to Nigeria, and infected people over there. But right now Nigeria has stopped the spread. After 2 or 3 people died, that has stopped. America has the opportunity, all the facilities to immediately quarantine and address that issue, if we have any Ebola patients in this country.”
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