Ebola, 1995/2014

On 13 November 2014, a health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) closes a gate leading out of the green (safe) zone, at a newly built Ebola treatment unit (ETU) in Monrovia, the capital. He is among a group of health workers preparing to enter the Unit’s red (high-risk) zone to treat patients. All personnel working directly with quarantined Ebola patients must don the protective gear (a combination of coveralls, heavy duty gloves and boots, goggles and aprons) before entering the high-risk zone, to prevent exposure to the virus. The treatment unit, located in Monrovia’s Congotown neighbourhood, near the Ministry of Defence compound, is comprised of health workers from Liberia, Cuba and African Union countries. UNICEF is supplying water to meet the drinking, washing, bathing and disinfecting needs for patients at the health facility, which has two chlorine disinfecting stations. At least 150 litres of water is required to fully care for each Ebola patient – 10 times the amount that a Liberian normally uses. The ETU is one of two built in October 2014 with support from UNICEF, USAID, the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Liberian Government, to help treat the overflow of Ebola patients at other health facilities. The units each have a 100-bed capacity. In November 2014, Liberia remains one of three countries in West Africa experiencing widespread and intense transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD). UNICEF continues to support social mobilization efforts to raise awareness of the disease, its symptoms and how to prevent its spread – all of which are critical to curtailing the unprecedented outbreak. UNICEF remains at the forefront of efforts to respond to and help curtail the outbreak. Since the beginning of the outbreak, UNICEF has brought in 967 metric tons of emergency aid, including essential protective gear, tents, diarrhoeal kits, emergency health kits, and sanitation supplies such as chlorine.