A Good Death — Ebola and Sacrifice

Mugele, Jason; Priest, Chad

doi:10.1056/nejmp1410301

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Almost immediately, the ravages of Ebola severely depleted this meager health-care workforce, including the poignant loss of some of the most venerated professionals [61]. Health-care workers sustained a rate of Ebola mortality that was 50 % higher than for nonhealth professionals [5•].…”

Section: Fear-related Behaviors In the 2013–2106 Evd Outbreakmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Fear-Related Behaviors in the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

Shultz

Cooper

Baingana

et al. 2016

Curr Psychiatry Rep

279

239

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The 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola virus disease pandemic was the largest, longest, deadliest, and most geographically expansive outbreak in the 40-year interval since Ebola was first identified. Fear-related behaviors played an important role in shaping the outbreak. Fear-related behaviors are defined as “individual or collective behaviors and actions initiated in response to fear reactions that are triggered by a perceived threat or actual exposure to a potentially traumatizing event. FRBs modify the future risk of harm.” This review examines how fear-related behaviors were implicated in (1) accelerating the spread of Ebola, (2) impeding the utilization of life-saving Ebola treatment, (3) curtailing the availability of medical services for treatable conditions, (4) increasing the risks for new-onset psychological distress and psychiatric disorders, and (5) amplifying the downstream cascades of social problems. Fear-related behaviors are identified for each of these outcomes. Particularly notable are behaviors such as treating Ebola patients in home or private clinic settings, the “laying of hands” on Ebola-infected individuals to perform faith-based healing, observing hands-on funeral and burial customs, foregoing available life-saving treatment, and stigmatizing Ebola survivors and health professionals. Future directions include modeling the onset, operation, and perpetuation of fear-related behaviors and devising strategies to redirect behavioral responses to mass threats in a manner that reduces risks and promotes resilience.

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Section: Fear-related Behaviors In the 2013–2106 Evd Outbreakmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Fear-Related Behaviors in the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

Shultz

Cooper

Baingana

et al. 2016

Curr Psychiatry Rep

279

239

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Liberia, Dr. Samuel Brisbane, director of the emergency department at Monrovia's John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center, was the first Liberian doctor to die in the country's Ebola outbreak. Dr. Brisbane's colleagues, Dr. Josh Mugele from Indiana School of Medicine and Chad Priest from Indiana School of Nursing, paid tribute to him in an essay in the September 2014 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine and in an interview on National Public Radio, saying that Brisbane's death was a "selfless act" because he did not have to treat those patients (Mugele & Priest, 2014).…”

Section: Impact Of Ebola On Health Care Workers and The Resiliency Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa: Challenges, opportunities, and policy priority areas

et al. 2015

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The ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa has drawn attention to global health inequalities, in particular the inadequacies of health care systems in sub-Saharan African countries for appropriately managing and containing infectious diseases. The purpose of this article is to examine the sociopolitical and economic conditions that created the environment for the Ebola epidemic to occur, identify challenges to and opportunities for the prevention and control of Ebola and future outbreaks, and discuss policy recommendations and priority areas for addressing the Ebola epidemic and future outbreaks in West Africa. Articles in peer-reviewed journals on health system reforms in developing countries and periodicals of international organizations were used to gather the overview reported in this article. We identify individual, structural, and community challenges that must be addressed in an effort to reduce the spread of Ebola in West Africa. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa underscores the need for the overhaul and transformation of African health care systems to build the capacity in these countries to address infectious diseases. Public-private partnerships for investment in developing countries' health care systems that involve the international community are critical in addressing the current Ebola epidemic and future outbreaks.

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“…But we should never forget that 825 HCW from West Africa became infected and 493 died of the disease. Many were leading physicians in their respective countries (Mugele & Priest 2014). These individuals are the unsung heroes in this tragic epidemic.…”

Section: The International Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

The Ebola Epidemic and Cholera Outbreak and The International Response

Roberts

2017

mls

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Infectious diseases are responsible for 15 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide despite the remarkable discoveries of antibiotics and vaccines. Many individuals succumb to microbial diseases in poor and less-developed countries where these preventive and therapeutic modalities are not available. Furthermore these less fortunate countries do not have the resources or public health infrastructure to combat unforeseen and explosive outbreaks. Two relatively recent outbreaks are reviewed in this article; the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the cholera outbreak in Haiti. This outbreak of cholera, in a country of only 7.8 million inhabitants, is one of the largest ever recorded worldwide. Early intervention by international health organizations is critical to curtail and ultimately control infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics. This responsibility, especially for less-developed countries, lies in the hands of the United Nations and World Health Organization. Unfortunately, the international response from the UN and WHO was slow, cumbersome and poorly coordinated both in West Africa and Haiti.

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A Good Death — Ebola and Sacrifice

Abstract: PERSPECTIVE 1185no one is talking about an early end to the outbreak. The international community will need to gear up for many more months of massive, coordinated, and targeted assistance. A humane world cannot let the people of West Africa suffer on such an extraordinary scale.

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

The Role of Fear-Related Behaviors in the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

The Role of Fear-Related Behaviors in the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa: Challenges, opportunities, and policy priority areas

The Ebola Epidemic and Cholera Outbreak and The International Response

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