1. THE MEANING OF RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF
EBOLA
Author: Beth Brennan, IHD
Date: 4/1/2015
IHD's Peter Cowley and Beth Brennan traveled to Sierra Leone in March to get a better
understanding of the current Ebola situation, and to see how Abt can use its deep experience in
fragile states and health systems strengthening after the epidemic dies down.
At the Military Hospital #34 treatment unit in the Wilbur Force neighborhood of Freetown, we met
staff and Ebola patients and survivors. Through the fog and heaviness of our personal protective
equipment (PPE), we winced as a severely dehydrated Ebola patient with sunken eyes lay in pain.
We were impressed with the strict
infection control protocol and the
organized disease surveillance system
instituted by the Sierra Leonean Ministries
of Health and Defense and international
partners, used to respond to the highly
infectious disease outbreak. Although
they're not at "zero cases" just yet, the
incidence of Ebola has decreased
significantly from the peak of the outbreak
3-4 months ago. This is due to the
resilience of the aid workers, patients and
survivors; to the Sierra Leone Ministry of
Health; and to the infrastructure and
resources provided by international donors
such as DFID, USAID, the World Bank,
and UN agencies.
We saw it firsthand – when aid staff and
the national government have the support
needed to rise to the occasion of an
epidemic, they can, and do deliver
effective health services. Our trip
confirmed this, and also highlighted the
significant role that Abt can play in the post-Ebola environment in Sierra Leone and the West African
region. There are huge health systems strengthening needs that include health finance, human
resources, surveillance, community ownership, and essential health services, all of which are either
very low- or non-functioning amidst the current hyper-focus on "all things Ebola". But this is where
Abt comes in -- we can assist these countries considerably in rebuilding their health systems,
because of our longstanding experience doing this in both stable and fragile states.
After being sprayed down by infection control workers as we left the treatment unit, we were thinking
not just that Abt has to help in Sierra Leone, but that it is our responsibility to help. It's not a matter of
should we be there post-Ebola, but that we have to be there.