What should have been poured into this writing is a congratulatory note, to us. Yes, it is true that the human race (and affected countries) is gaining triumph in the fight against the epidemic, Ebola, that suddenly struck our space. Yet, more is still to be done.
With the help of world's giant health bodies like the WHO, CDC, International Red Cross Society, UNMEER, Medecins Sans Frontieres, and so on, we have been able to attain substantial level of success. Yet, this is not the time to relax and fold our arms people.
Something surprising (at the same time, baffling) should strike our minds. Despite this disease already being kicked out of major affected countries (DR Congo, Senegal, and Nigeria), the death toll and reported cases are still on the rise. This is a real need for us to be more careful. It's a cause for cautious alarm.
Sometimes in November 2014, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon points out that despite the progresses been made, the outbreak remains active with people dying every day and new infections continuing and no one can say with certainty what the coming weeks might bring.
More than 26,000 people have been infected in the epidemic, over 11,000 people have died, and the number of infections is still doubling every month, the WHO has
reported.
The WHO admits the figures are underestimates, given the difficulty collecting the data. WHO officials in December discovered scores of bodies in a remote diamond-mining area of Sierra Leone, raising fears that the scale of the Ebola outbreak may have been underreported.
The WHO even suspects and warns against possible spread of this disease to other various regions if proper measures and care isn't taken.
Though the epidemic has been tackled from the source and DR Congo has been declared free, the epidemic is still a very serious threat in other affected parts of West Africa. Even, in Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone the numbers are still steadily going up. There's an average, 40-50 new cases reported every day according to official figures, and there are lots of not-yet declared cases as well.
Until these bases are fully dealt with, we still need to watch our backs, and be on guard.
IT TAKES YOU, ME, ALL OF US. . .
For us to win, completely, in this fight, it requires me, it requires you. Don't let us leave it to the health bodies alone, it's our world, and not just theirs.
What are you doing about it? Don't just say it's none of your business because your country is not affected or has been declared free. As long as we still have nations battling this, it remains a potential threat to yours too, even your family, loved ones, and you.
The U.N. Under-Secretary-General Kandeh Yumkella told
CNN that the future rests in part on what and how much the 'international community' does to help corral the virus. By this, he's referring to all of us.
You can help support in the Ebola response, in your own best capacity, even if the little you can do is sourcing for information on Ebola, and educating your immediate family members, friends, relatives. Or be it donating money to health bodies to help fight against it. Those little things really count.
IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL WE WIN.
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