New Year’s Update on Ebola from WiRED International

BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN

The New York Times reported on December 29 that, in 2014, Ebola abated a bit in West Africa, then came roaring back. This pattern was different from the way the virus acted in other parts of Africa (where it was contained and went underground), so the pattern in West Africa took experts by surprise. To date, 20,000 people have suffered from Ebola, more than 7,800 have died, and the epidemic continues to rage, particularly in Sierra Leone.

 

WiRED International recognized the Ebola problem in West Africa early last spring and created its initial Ebola training module for general audiences. Since then, we have created three additional modules and a related module on hand washing—an important practice in Ebola prevention.

 

As we begin the new year, Ebola remains a significant threat to all of Africa, but especially to West Africa. We work to assist people living in the regions immediately affected and to prepare people in the rest of Africa for a possible incursion of the virus.

 

WiRED International offers more than 300 educational modules in our Community Health Education e-library covering various illnesses and conditions to help people in developing regions. All of these modules are immediately available for access online or for download, and we are continuing to add new modules, update existing modules and provide translations of modules as needed.

 

As we begin 2015, our focus remains on Ebola. We ask all our friends to spread the word about the available Ebola training resources so people everywhere can learn about prevention techniques. WiRED offers the only cost-free, interactive Ebola training tools, all written by and peer reviewed by experts. We encourage people to use our modules to increase their knowledge about this merciless disease.