If the Liberian media were to be asked about the difficult fight against Ebola, they'd probably tell you that one of the biggest problems is low awareness.
Indeed, a number of journalists in the West African country, one of the hardest hit in the recent Ebola outbreak, have blamed the government for their lack of support to the media. In a report by Bush Chicken, radios have played a crucial role in disseminating information about the life-threatening viral disease. The problem is the government is not providing them the right kind of financial aid. Thus, journalists, who travel to different areas and risk their lives to report about the progress of the illness, have to fend for themselves using whatever limited resources are available. They are also depending on the financial support provided by non-government organizations (NGOs), with whom they had set up partnerships with. In turn, radio broadcasters promote programs by these NGOs.
The poor dissemination of Ebola information, along with bureaucracy in the government, has made people complacent that they stopped following many of the preventive measures, a huge challenge considering that Liberia has already been declared Ebola free by the United Nations before new cases were reported.
The boy, aged 15, was diagnosed with Ebola at least a week before he died on Nov 24. Along with him, his brother and father also contracted the same disease while over 100 people who had come in contact with the boy and his family are currently being monitored for any symptom.
During the height of the crisis, at least 8,000 people died with no more than 20,000 affected by the disease. Although there were survivors, latest studies showed that the impact of the disease may be long term, including disability or blindness. A nurse in the UK was also admitted recently after an Ebola relapse. She was first diagnosed and survived the disease early this year.
