Africa

Dr. Wvennie MacDonald, the administrator of the JFK Memorial Hospital, has helped put new procedures in place to keep Ebola out, including a triage station to identify possible Ebola patients at the front gate.

Back On Its Feet, A Liberian Hospital Aims To Keep Ebola Out

7:20pm October 16, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

JFK hospital shut down when several doctors died of Ebola. Now it's open again. And the staff is taking rigorous measures to make sure the virus doesn't make its way past the front gate.

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At a CDC training session for clinicians headed to West Africa, a medical worker practices sanitizing hands after drawing blood from a mannequin portraying an Ebola patient.

Lessons From Ebola School: How To Draw Blood, Wipe Up Vomit

3:16pm October 16, 2014

by Nurith Aizenman

Think of the routine jobs health workers do in a hospital: Sticking a needle in a patient's arm. Cleaning up vomit. Escorting a patient to a bed. Now imagine doing those tasks for someone with Ebola.

American USAID chief Rajiv Shah meets with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia.

World News

USAID Head Speaks Of Heroic Efforts — And Heroes — In West Africa

2:05pm October 16, 2014

by NPR Staff

Rajiv Shah, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, gives an update on the construction of new hospitals — and the outlook for Ebola — in afflicted parts of West Africa.

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Dr. Kent Brantly was treated for Ebola at Emory University Hospital after becoming infected at the Monrovia hospital where he worked.

Ebola Evacuees: Who Are They, Where'd They Go, How'd They Fare?

11:40am October 16, 2014

by Nsikan Akpan

They caught the virus. Or had contact with a patient that put them at high risk. And they were flown out of West Africa for treatment — at a cost as high as $200,000 per person.

World News

Oscar Pistorius Case Draws Attention To Judge's Background

8:13pm October 15, 2014

The South African athlete was back in court following last month's culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Melissa Block talks to reporter Natasya Tay about the judge in the case.

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Dr. Risi (top, center) spent a month working with the medical team at Kenema General Hospital, the largest Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone.

A Montana Doctor Is Humbled By A Month Of Treating Ebola Patients

6:54pm October 15, 2014

by Eric Whitney

George Risi spent a month in Sierra Leone. The infectious disease specialist cared for more than 300 patients. About 100 died. Nothing could have prepared him for the experience.

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The sign NPR producer Rebecca Hersher saw as she left Liberia to return to the United States.

Live Airport Tweets: An NPR Producer's Irregular Ebola Screenings

10:33am October 15, 2014

by Rebecca Hersher

Airports around the world have begun screening passengers arriving from West Africa for signs of Ebola. But as producer Rebecca Hersher live-tweets, not all of the exams are as strict as promised.

Dr. Patrick Kamara adjusts his goggles on the final day of training and the first "dress rehearsal" before being sent out to Ebola treatment units. The World Health Organization is ramping up to train up to 500 new health workers a week as part of the eff

On Front Lines Against Ebola, Training A Matter Of Life Or Death

7:20pm October 14, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

At least 7,000 health care workers are needed to staff new Ebola treatment centers in Liberia alone. Those doctors, nurses and hygienists must learn how to protect themselves — and how not to panic.

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Breaking The Chains That Bind The Mentally Ill

1:48pm October 14, 2014

by Susan Brink

In low-income countries, a person with schizophrenia might be chained to a tree or to a hospital bed. On World Mental Health Day, WHO is urging an end such practices.

Gordon arranged the photos of some of the kidnapped girls, provided by their families. Top row left to right: Yana Pogu, Rhoda Peters, Saratu Ayuba, Comfort, Bullus, Dorcas Yakubu. Bottom row left to right: Hauwa Mutah, Hajara Isa, Rivkatu Ngalang.'

Photographers Capture The Sorrow And Pain Of Global Girls

10:28am October 14, 2014

by Rena Silverman

For the International Day of the Girl Child, we wanted to bring to light issues that are often hidden from view. So we turned to five photographers who devote much of their time to girls' issues.