MHSC
Senior Moderator
A village of 23 households under quarantine in the Omega Tower Community in Paynesville have been suffering deprivation and Ebola stigma following the deaths of five persons and three confirmed cases of the stubborn virus.
The hunger-stricken Wheinzohn residents say they were suffering the pinch of isolation because of the high probability that they could become infected within 21 days, lamenting that in their circumstances they were left with no alternative but to appeal for help.
According to one family head, the 23 households are stigmatized by the rest of the village and are considered as the harbingers of witchcraft threatening the existence of the village.
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Some communities physically draw lines of demarcation between quarantined homes and the rest of the communities; indicating a no go zone.
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Upon hearing of the plight of the people of Wheinzohn, a rapid response team from Alfalit Liberia acted immediately. Initially, the Alfalit team took to the quarantined town two weeks ago 25 bags of rice, along with cartons of argo oil, disinfectants, 25 hand washing buckets and 300 sachets of safe drinking water.
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Wheinzohn village was confirmed Ebola infested from a single incident that linked Benson Hospital as the probable source of infection.
A pregnant woman gave birth at Benson Hospital and returned to the village with her baby. Within days she came down with all the signs of the virus, but villagers were not convinced that her case could be that of Ebola.
The woman eventually died along with her young baby. Conventional traditions associated with caring for the dead were upheld. Family members bathed and dressed the body as a sign of last respect.
The virus left its dead hosts for the living. All the partakers in the burial rituals came down with the virus in a couple of days. Four have died and three others are in Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs).
...
During a visit to the village, several young men dressed in white jackets labeled "District # 10 Ebola Taskforce" told the Daily Observer that they were assigned to the village to perform two basic tasks: reporting new cases in the village and ensuring that the rules of quarantine are strictly followed.
As part of the quarantine regulations, two old ladies who found comfort in each other's company in their last stage of life, have been placed in separate rooms to avoid infecting each other in case either of them has the virus.
Their makeshift lodging had been discarded when some members of their families tested positive of the virus and subsequently died.
The old folks had no alternative but to sleep on the ground at the expense of their depreciating health. The virus has killed their caregivers and left them in isolation until the twenty-one day period is over. "Go in the rooms and see", was the only reaction to this reporter's curiosity about their living condition.
Hardly would a visitor like an aid worker or journalist enter the rooms of the elderly women in the absence of protective gears.
But from 10 feet away, one can see the deplorable conditions to which these old folks are reduced during the quarantine.
Alfalit came to the rescue by providing mattresses for the two old ladies as they remain physically separated from each other until their quarantine is over.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201410241553.html
The hunger-stricken Wheinzohn residents say they were suffering the pinch of isolation because of the high probability that they could become infected within 21 days, lamenting that in their circumstances they were left with no alternative but to appeal for help.
According to one family head, the 23 households are stigmatized by the rest of the village and are considered as the harbingers of witchcraft threatening the existence of the village.
...
Some communities physically draw lines of demarcation between quarantined homes and the rest of the communities; indicating a no go zone.
...
Upon hearing of the plight of the people of Wheinzohn, a rapid response team from Alfalit Liberia acted immediately. Initially, the Alfalit team took to the quarantined town two weeks ago 25 bags of rice, along with cartons of argo oil, disinfectants, 25 hand washing buckets and 300 sachets of safe drinking water.
...
Wheinzohn village was confirmed Ebola infested from a single incident that linked Benson Hospital as the probable source of infection.
A pregnant woman gave birth at Benson Hospital and returned to the village with her baby. Within days she came down with all the signs of the virus, but villagers were not convinced that her case could be that of Ebola.
The woman eventually died along with her young baby. Conventional traditions associated with caring for the dead were upheld. Family members bathed and dressed the body as a sign of last respect.
The virus left its dead hosts for the living. All the partakers in the burial rituals came down with the virus in a couple of days. Four have died and three others are in Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs).
...
During a visit to the village, several young men dressed in white jackets labeled "District # 10 Ebola Taskforce" told the Daily Observer that they were assigned to the village to perform two basic tasks: reporting new cases in the village and ensuring that the rules of quarantine are strictly followed.
As part of the quarantine regulations, two old ladies who found comfort in each other's company in their last stage of life, have been placed in separate rooms to avoid infecting each other in case either of them has the virus.
Their makeshift lodging had been discarded when some members of their families tested positive of the virus and subsequently died.
The old folks had no alternative but to sleep on the ground at the expense of their depreciating health. The virus has killed their caregivers and left them in isolation until the twenty-one day period is over. "Go in the rooms and see", was the only reaction to this reporter's curiosity about their living condition.
Hardly would a visitor like an aid worker or journalist enter the rooms of the elderly women in the absence of protective gears.
But from 10 feet away, one can see the deplorable conditions to which these old folks are reduced during the quarantine.
Alfalit came to the rescue by providing mattresses for the two old ladies as they remain physically separated from each other until their quarantine is over.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201410241553.html