Updated: The first suspected Ebola patient has been moved from Hope Clinic to a larger hospital. 

Note 8/28/2014: CAMA has since learned that the suspected Ebola patient was immediately referred to the WHO representatives at the larger provincial hospital and did not remain at Hope Clinic. There has been no word as to whether the patient tested positive for Ebola or if he recovered from his illness.

Below is a letter from Moise, Executive Secretary of Eau de la Vie, the non-government organization that CAMA helped to launch and that now administers Hope Clinic:

Dear Brothers, Sisters, and Friends,

I am taking this opportunity to explain to you what we are currently undergoing. We received a call from Hope Clinic that a suspected Ebola patient had arrived yesterday. Clinic staff called the larger hospital in N’Zérékoré to ask for assistance with proper care of this patient. There was no follow up to the request, possibly due to fear.

I also received a call from the neighboring region of Yomou saying that they had four people who came down with Ebola and died. They infected six others who were then sent to a containment area. Unfortunately, no one knows how they are doing as people aren’t allowed to have contact with them. Communication with the aid workers is difficult.

We are hearing that in the N’Zérékoré hospital five others have now died from Ebola. The doctors and nurses who had contact with these patients have been put into isolation to determine if they have been contaminated or not. For this reason our clinic in N’Zao decided to close the clinic for 10 days so we can receive further training on how best to care for ourselves and others.

Three weeks ago, before the epidemic worsened, we were going from village to village three times a week. We trained people to wash their hands and purify their drinking water to prevent the spread of Ebola.

Now that the epidemic is in our area and people are dying from it, I want to increase our visits to the surrounding villages to five times a week. By doing this, we hope to reinforce what people have already learned.

However, for us to increase our visits, we need much prayer as well as financial assistance. Pray for those who will do the training, and pray for those who must decide where we are most needed. 

Financial assistance will be a necessary priority as it takes a great deal of “on the ground support” to carry out these village training seminars. The funds will be used to purchase soap for cleaning hands, bleach for treating drinking water, transport for those leading the practical teaching, monthly salaries, etc.

I want to thank you for allowing me to share with you my concerns that we are currently facing. If it wasn’t for your prayers and financial help, we wouldn’t be able to carry out this much-needed training.

Moise
Executive Secretary
Eau de la Vie

CAMA will be supporting the Ebola awareness training efforts with funds from the CAMA Ebola Crisis Fund. We encourage you to join in this effort through your prayers and gifts.