Pronounced dead, Ebola victim zombies in Liberia “rise from the dead,” in order to get medical attention. The latest case of this was in Monrovia, Liberia on October 2nd. Amidst the angry crowds of people, a burial team worked alongside the road. Bystanders said, “We couldn't get him help when he was alive. They only come when you die." A community leader said they had been trying to get help for the man for days, but no ambulance or medical aid came until he was supposed dead. Often, it is the case that people will act dead in order to get medical help. Instead of waiting for days on end for medical help, people fake being dead because the burial crew shows up usually within the hour. When the crew realized the man was not dead, an ambulance showed up within ten minutes; however, sources have yet to confirm if they were in fact coming for the victim or just making rounds. Angelee Watson, a freshman, said “Someone pretending to be dead just to get medical attention is absolutely crazy. I hope they got the help they needed.”Kit Nadado, a senior at BYUH majoring in TESOL exclaimed that he is “really appalled by the desperation of the situation” and proposes that students “assess the resources we have, even if it is just praying and fasting for our brothers and sisters.”According to the World Health Organization, in the case of an Ebola virus disease (EVD outbreak), the most important thing remember is “good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely, case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilization.” Ebola is unique in the sense that it does not die when the host does. Safety precautions are being taken to combat this particular attribute of the virus. Upon arrival to death site of an Ebola victim, burial crews will bleach the area and put the body in a plastic body bag to transport to graves suitable to contain the EVD.Although 50% of the people who contract Ebola survive, the fact of the matter is there’s a lot more room for dead bodies than there is for those in need of treatment.
Writer: Morgynne Tora ~ Multimedia Journalist
