Ebola response #1

In August I deployed to Liberia for 4 weeks to help with the Ebola response.  This is part 1 of photos from the field. I'm limiting my commentary but let me know if want any more details.

I spent about half of my time in Monrovia where there are Ebola related billboards, cars reassigned to Ebola tasks, and many more Ebola related visuals all over town.

While in Monrovia I spent a lot of time at the Ministry of Health working on surveillance as well as health promotion / communication activities.  When I entered the Ministry of Health building, and about 99.9% of all buildings, I, along with everyone else, was required to wash my hands with a 0.05% bleach solution (if mixed properly) to kill any potential virus on my hands.

 I supported the surveillance team as they hosted a 2 day workshop to train officials from affected counties on surveillance systems and provide information about support offered by the Ministry. We had two exciting surprise guests: President Ellen Sirleaf, Liberia's president, and Keiji Fukuda, WHO Assistant Director General for Health Security.  Dr. Fukuda was in Monrovia at the same time Dr Tom Frieden and Dr. Rich Besser were there. It was a very busy week for hosting guests.

Part way through the workshop two folks lead us through the Ebola dance.  They asked everyone to use their hips to spell E B O L A. I think the request surprise everyone, but it also pulled some much needed laughs from the audience.

Here are some photos taken in the national data and surveillance center at the Ministry of Health.  These were taken on my last day. I wish I had photos from my first day because you would have seen these same people crammed into a room about 1/7th the size and all hovering around 1 computer.  It's amazing what a month can do!

 Here I am trying to convince the team to pose for my photo but they were just too dedicated, or maybe too shy, to get up and really pose.

Each yellow form represents one person with Ebola.  The team and the whole response effort is challenged by the fact that forms are submitted for only a fraction of the actual cases.

I worked with national medical centers and MSF to improve data communication between facilities and the national surveillance system.  Here are some photos from those facilities (let me know if you want to see more).
Here is the 'green' or 'cold' zone for only physicians and nurses, and no Ebola patients, that is at a government Ebola management facility.  The boots and other reusable items are drying after being washed in a 0.5% bleach solution.

I was able to visit the huge, 120 bed, MSF Ebola management center in Monrovia the day before it opened for patients.  Here is a tent to house suspected cases.  Yes, it does get hot in the tent during the day.

This time around as MSF built the clinic they decided to put in sockets to allow patients to charge their mobile phones.  Patients really appreciated this option.

Here is a break room for center staff with a row of backpacks that hold 0.5% bleach solution.  The 'hygienists' or 'environmental specialists' or 'sprayers' use these to, among other things, douse medical staff as they take off Personal Protective Equipment when they are leaving the facility after a shift.

This depicts someone measuring the driver's temperature and subsequently all of our temperatures before we entered the district health office in Grand Bassa County.  Periodically throughout the roadways and particularly at county and some district borders, there were road blocks where passenger temperatures were recorded.  The accuracy of the temperature checks is a matter of discussion, but at least there was movement to get protocols in place.

Here I am with one of my closest colleagues there.