Ebola, A Year After The Epidemic Began

It’s been one year this month since the first case of Ebola was found in Guinea, setting off what has become the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history. New cases have slowed down — but there are reports today that a dozen or so new cases have erupted in Liberia along the border of Sierra Leone.

The Centers for Disease Control in the United States say the virus has killed more than 7,600 people in West Africa.

Raj Panjabi – the CEO of Last Mile Health, which trains community healthcare workers in Liberia — tells Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins new cases of Ebola are now happening in rural areas, and that’s where the focus needs to be.

“The challenge there is to get the response — rapid and effective — in the most remote jungle villages, like the places where this disease first started,” Panjabi, who grew up in Liberia, said. “Ebola anywhere is a threat to people everywhere, and so you cannot have almost zero with Ebola. You’ve got to get to zero cases.”

Guest

• Raj Panjabi, CEO of Last Mile Health and an instructor in global health equity at Harvard Medical School. He tweets @rajpanjabi.

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