The Epidemic Gets a Law

"Sierra Leone Makes Hiding Ebola Patients Illegal"
By: Clarence Roy-Macaulay
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/23/sierra-leone-ebola_n_5702536.html

Sierra Leone has passed a law on Friday which has hiding an Ebola patient illegal. The people hiding the patients will be arrested and can face up to two years in prison. This drastic standard was implemented to the people of Sierra Leone so there would be cooperation between the citizens and the government. Hiding an Ebola patient can put the healthy individual at risk of catching the disease and nobody wants this epidemic to spread more than it already has. The law is understandable, but possibly sentencing the person hiding the Ebola patient to a couple years in jail just instills fear in the people of Sierra Leone. "A total of 2,615 infections and 1,427 deaths have been recorded in the Ebola outbreak now hitting West Africa, according to figures released Friday by the World Health Organization. Sierra Leone has been hard-hit, with at least 910 cases and 392 deaths" (1). By neighboring countries closing the borders Sierra Leone is heart broken by the abandonment and isolation by their allies. A British national who was living in Sierra Leone was tested positive for Ebola; being the first British citizen to have the Ebola disease, but Ebola is a very low risk and concern for the people in the United Kingdom. "The overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low," (1) said John Watson, deputy chief medical officer, "Medical experts are currently assessing the situation in Sierra Leone to ensure that appropriate care is provided" (1).

This article shows the severity of the situation. The concern is so high for the countries in Africa that a blockade is in place through almost every country border such as Guniea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa, and Cameroon are among some of the countries imposing border restrictions. Although the concern for other continents is low, people should not turn a cheek on this issue and stop the spread before it turns into a pandemic.