Engineering a response to Ebola

Ebola is now like a forest fire. It is burning too intensely at its centres – the places where the disease first struck – so we are really working to contain it there.

The number of cases has been doubling every two weeks and some experts expect 20,000 by Christmas. It will be very difficult to extinguish it from the centre, so we’re also operating at the edges – countries like Ivory Coast and Mali – to stop it coming across the border and spreading further. (Currently there is an outbreak in Mali which I am responding to.)

We’re teaching and training people about sanitation, about hygiene measures and about how exactly to act if a case is suspected. We’re helping authorities to set up Ebola centres, and through broadcasts, leaflets and posters the governments are giving everyone a number to call if symptoms develop, so they can be picked up and transported to a centre by nurses and trained staff.