On The Frontline Of The 2014 Ebola Outbreak

Stanley Seyonkon working at a hospital in Buchanan, Liberia.

On January 14, the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) declared that West Africa was free of the ebola virus, supposedly the end of the most recent outbreak. Less than 24 hours later, on January 15, a new case was discovered in Sierra Leone. This one recent case points out how fragile the relationship between humans and the ebola virus actually is. Even so, the health care system in that part of the world is better equipped to treat and handle any new, individual cases.

In thinking back to what happened with the deadly outbreak that cost so many lives, let's take a look at one of the nurses who served on the frontlines. Stanley Seyonkon, age 41, is not only a nurse, but also a survivor of the disease. Prior to providing direct care, he received infection prevention and control training (IPC), particularly addressing the concerns regarding ebola, offered by Liberia's Ministry of Health and then supplementary monthly trainings provided by JHPIEGO, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University.



Mr. Seyonkon discussed how he became a nurse, "I am a registered nurse - I became one in 2013 because I like caring for people and serving humanity. Before that, I owned my own drugstore, but I wanted to help more people, so I left my business behind."

Only a year after entering practice, Mr. Seyonkon was confronted with the ebola outbreak in 2014. Why did he stay and treat people? For that matter, why does any nurse take that risk? He said, "Working in the clinic was very, very sad. But we needed to help people survive. That is why I took the risk. The hardest part of working was to see people dying and crying out for help....Many were leaving nursing at the time because they were scared of getting infected. I decided to take the risk."

Despite his training, Mr. Seyonkon still became sick. He talked about how he thought it happened, "There was a patient that came from Margibi County....She tested positive for ebola, and when I went to care for her, she had vomited, and I tried to help her get out of the pool of vomit. Two days later, I started to feel sick. I believe I got infected while taking the personal protective equipment off."

People who contract ebola become severely ill. There is no guarantee of recovery, but Stanley did recover. Subsequently, he and his family were avoided for a time, because of the stigma attached to the illness. But he credits psychosocial support from other health care workers and being able to talk to other survivors as being helpful. There was also the education about the disease that was provided by the government that helped reduce the stigma. Generalized joint pain throughout his entire body is one of the lingering effects that he still experiences.

Health care workers had to suit up from head to toe in protective clothing.

A very important part of the treatment picture for this severe illness is the personal protective equipment utilized by health care workers. Nurses and others must maintain full focus on removing the equipment in a way that does not contaminate themselves. There must be all of the pieces needed to protect workers fully; there can't be any scarcity, or the protection breaks down. As US nurses have also discovered, training, training, and more training, keeps each practitioner adept at making sure there are no breaks in the equipment and that contaminated surfaces aren't touched when that equipment is removed. Even more important on the frontlines were those who took the risks to provide the care that was needed during the outbreak of this deadly illness.

It's such a tiny virus that causes a severe and deadly illness.

Thanks to information provided by this article on One: http://www.one.org/us/2016/01/14/an-ebola-nurse-and-survivor-looks-back-on-the-outbreak/; this article, also on One: http://www.one.org/us/2016/01/15/new-ebola-case-in-sierra-leone-a-tragic-reminder-to-focus-on-the-bigger-picture/; and the above links.

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