Live Webinar hosted by Doctors Without Borders; May 14th
Ebola in West Africa: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Thursday, May 14, 8:00PM EDT
Doctors Without Borders aid workers reflect on their recent work in West Africa, current challenges, and what remains to be done.
Register now: http://ebola-update-webcast.eventbrite.com
Now over a year into the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) remains active in all three affected countries. Although the number of positive cases has decreased in Liberia and Sierra Leone, it continues to fluctuate in Guinea, with each new case carrying the potential to reignite the outbreak.
Much work remains to be done, and vigilance remains essential. The outbreak ravaged existing health systems throughout the affected region, forcing many medical facilities to close and killing hundreds of health personnel. This undercut the ability of health workers to treat preventable diseases or vaccinate children. The crisis made it very difficult for people to access assistance for non-Ebola illnesses or maternal care. Even if the worst of the outbreak is over, as we hope it is, the consequences of the epidemic will be with us for a long time to come.
On Thursday, May 14th, 8:00PM EDT, our outstanding panel of recently returned aid workers will explore the reality in the field at this stage of the outbreak. The panel will also discuss what lessons MSF has learned about responding to situations like this, and where we go from here.
Viewer participation is encouraged via a chat feature available during the webcast.
Panelists:
Sophie Delaunay is the executive director of MSF-USA and recently visited West Africa.
Craig Spencer, MD, worked as a physician in an Ebola treatment center in Guinea in the fall of 2014. After developing symptoms back home in New York, he was himself diagnosed with Ebola. While undergoing intense media scrutiny, he was treated and was declared Ebola-free on November 10. And in March 2015, he went back to Guinea to continue fighting Ebola as an epidemiologist.
Ella Watson-Stryker began working for MSF in March 2014 as part of MSF’s initial response to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea. She returned for subsequent missions as a health promotion manager in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and was recently featured in Time magazine with other health care providers and aid workers in West Africa who were collectively named Person of the Year for 2014.
Gillian Burkhardt, OBGYN, recently returned from Sierra Leone, where she worked in an Ebola treatment center that was transitioning into a maternal care center. Her first assignment for MSF was at the beginning of 2014 in Sierra Leone prior to the Ebola outbreak.
Tim Shenk, MSF-USA press officer, spent two weeks as the lead field communications officer in Liberia in 2014, and will moderate the discussion.
Please register on Eventbrite to receive the link to view: http://ebola-update-webcast.eventbrite.com
