Intense pain ripples through your muscles allowing you to stand for almost a few seconds as you gasp for breath. You hear the cries of your family as they watch your condition deteriorate. You lay there waiting for help, as doctors try to stop the symptoms from progressing.
This is a scene currently witnessed around the world as thousands of people experience these same symptoms. Ebola is slowly gaining momentum — spreading quicker and faster around the world — as there is no confirmed treatment to stop it.
“Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it,” stated International President of Doctors Without Borders Dr. Joanne Liu in a public radio interview. “Leaders are failing to come to grips with this international threat, and states have essentially joined the global coalition of inaction.”
Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids. Ebola cases have arisen in Africa, mainly in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Although many world organizations, such as the CDC and the World Health Organization, have dispatched aid to nations affected by Ebola, the aid is limited. In an attempt to stop the spread, airports in the affected countries are largely shut down, further preventing a mass influx of supplies.
There are simple treatments that can help many recover from Ebola. However, these are not necessarily available in the nations affected by the disease. For example, when two American citizens caught Ebola, they were flown to Emory University hospital and cured while hundreds continued to die in Africa. This raises questions about the inequality of care.
“It’s an injustice that just because certain people are wealthier and come from a more developed country their lives are prioritized over thousands of others who have just as much of a right to live as any American,” said a Guilford College student who wished to remain anonymous in an email interview.
Although there is no known cure for the disease, scientists believe the experimental drug ZMapp might potentially provide aid to the thousands of people suffering from Ebola. However, the drug has not yet been delivered, as it has not yet been approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration.
“ZMapp has not been tested on humans, so it has not gone through the proper trials to make sure it is safe,” said Associate Professor of Biology Melanie Lee-Brown. “What they are doing right now, by giving it to the patients, is actually using them as test subjects.”
A more ethical approach might include getting the drug approved, informing the patients of the drug and only administering ZMapp as a last resort.
As a continent with many developing nations, Africa does not have the resources to adequately deal with Ebola. Transmission of the disease results from the lack of disposable surgical masks and latex gloves as well as insufficient equipment to confirm contraction of Ebola.
To prevent the spread of this deadly disease outside the nations currently affected will require more international aid.
Already, the failure of outside nations to act has resulted in 3,900 cases of Ebola and more than 2,000 deaths and the numbers keep escalating.
“It is a social injustice that Africans are not able to receive the same level of treatment as Americans affected by Ebola,” said Danielle du Preez, South African national and Early College student.
“It is the responsibility of countries that have access to more advanced medical facilities to provide resources and aid to Africa so the people there have a greater chance of surviving and so the area will not become overwhelmed with the disease.”
