By Boakai Fofana
The incidence of
reported Ebola cases is no longer increasing nationally in Liberia,
enabling the United States government to consider scaling back the
number of Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) it is building in the country.
But while there is debate among some Liberians about how many new
facilities are still needed, those building them are determined to "keep
the accelerator... down until Ebola is gone from Liberia." Naijabrown.blogspot reports from Buchanan on the opening of the first completely American-built ETU in the country.
Locals watched in awe from a distance as dozens of United States Army engineers prepared to take journalists on a guided tour of a newly-built Ebola Treatment Unit in the port city of Buchanan, about 70 miles southeast of Monrovia.
A few children scavenged in a pile of building waste from the 100-bed facility, as grown-ups looked on, unperturbed. And the adults were justified in their lack of worry, according to 32-year-old Albertha Dunn. Not only had the new unit admitted no patients yet; even during the heyday of the epidemic in Liberia, the city was not greatly affected.
"I only heard on the radio one time that we had about 12 persons with Ebola in the county," she said. Albertha believes Grand Bassa County, where Buchanan is situated, was saved from the scourge by God. "We have been having strong prayers here". But she added that people have stopped shaking hands and they follow the preventive measures laid down by health workers. The mother of five had been coming out every day to watch the month-long construction of the facility with another concern: she's hoping to get a job as a cook.
In September, President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of thousands of American soldiers to help corral the Ebola outbreak which was ravaging Liberia and some of its neighbors. Their mission included building 17 treatment centers and training thousands of local health care workers. But as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control begin to report that the outbreak is stabilizing in Liberia, officials are reassessing their strategy.
The incidence of
reported Ebola cases is no longer increasing nationally in Liberia,
enabling the United States government to consider scaling back the
number of Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) it is building in the country.
But while there is debate among some Liberians about how many new
facilities are still needed, those building them are determined to "keep
the accelerator... down until Ebola is gone from Liberia." Naijabrown.blogspot reports from Buchanan on the opening of the first completely American-built ETU in the country.Locals watched in awe from a distance as dozens of United States Army engineers prepared to take journalists on a guided tour of a newly-built Ebola Treatment Unit in the port city of Buchanan, about 70 miles southeast of Monrovia.
A few children scavenged in a pile of building waste from the 100-bed facility, as grown-ups looked on, unperturbed. And the adults were justified in their lack of worry, according to 32-year-old Albertha Dunn. Not only had the new unit admitted no patients yet; even during the heyday of the epidemic in Liberia, the city was not greatly affected.
"I only heard on the radio one time that we had about 12 persons with Ebola in the county," she said. Albertha believes Grand Bassa County, where Buchanan is situated, was saved from the scourge by God. "We have been having strong prayers here". But she added that people have stopped shaking hands and they follow the preventive measures laid down by health workers. The mother of five had been coming out every day to watch the month-long construction of the facility with another concern: she's hoping to get a job as a cook.
In September, President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of thousands of American soldiers to help corral the Ebola outbreak which was ravaging Liberia and some of its neighbors. Their mission included building 17 treatment centers and training thousands of local health care workers. But as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control begin to report that the outbreak is stabilizing in Liberia, officials are reassessing their strategy.
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