News in Review December 2014 Teacher Resource Guide EBOLA: A Deadly Virus Outbreak

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1 News in Review December 2014 Teacher Resource Guide EBOLA: A Deadly Virus Outbreak Note to Teachers The classroom must promote a safe place for students to discuss sensitive issues such as illness and death. Prepare students for the topics that will be discussed. Allow for individual reflective time in addition to small group activities where students can safely process their thoughts and emotions. MINDS ON In 1995 the movie Outbreak was released. It describes how a virus in an underdeveloped country spreads and seems immune from any vaccine. The result is international panic and large loss of life. The movie was fictional but it now appears that it may actually have predicted the future. In March 2014 the World Health Organization reported a large number of Ebola cases emerging from some countries in West Africa. The virus quickly spread, with Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia reporting the highest number of cases. As the extent of the epidemic became apparent and the number of deaths increased, the world faced a number of disturbing questions: SETTING THE SCENE Ebola is a virus that causes a high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, body pain, and external and internal bleeding. Once the virus is contracted it can kill within a matter of days. The virus can only be spread through contact with the bodily fluids of infected people. It is not contagious or air borne. At the moment there is no known cure. The source of the virus is thought to be the fruit bat, a mammal that is immune to the virus but able to spread it to other species. These other How could the virus be contained in countries with underdeveloped health care systems? Why were Western nations taking so long to respond with assistance? Was priority being given to patients in the West at the expense of Africans? What impact might this virus have on these African societies? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 4

2 animals such as monkeys, antelopes and gorillas may eat food already infected by the bats. The animals are then killed and eaten by humans. With the increasing growth of urban centres in most African countries it did not take long for those infected in the rural areas to migrate to the cities. By mid-december, Ebola had infected more than people and killed Global Response The spread of this virus beyond the borders of Africa has raised a number of concerns about the negative impact of globalization. With the growth of international travel there is fear of the disease quickly spreading beyond the borders of Africa. Some critics point to the large illegal importation of bush meat to a number of African communities in North America. This smuggled meat can carry many viruses, including Ebola. Questions have also been raised about the apparent unequal response of western countries to this health crisis. West African countries have been asking for urgent assistance as they fight the virus. Many of these countries are recovering from years of instability and violence that have left their health care systems in ruin. The nonprofit organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) has called on the world community to contribute funds, supplies and personnel to fight the virus in the affected nations. It is estimated that it would cost approximately $1 million a month to build and maintain a 70-bed facility. Canada has pledged over $65 million. Other nations have also pledged large amounts, but the United Nations has criticized these nations for not delivering the funds in a timely manner. Would the response have been more immediate if the epidemic occurred in a Western nation? Why is it that African countries struggle to acquire enough medical gowns and protective gloves see the makeshift Ebola clinic in Liberia pictured below while infected doctors and aid workers from the West are flown home, kept in isolation and given 24-hour health care? Medical Dilemma When the urgent cry for assistance was sent out to the world medical community, the first international health care workers that arrived faced a daunting task: to establish evacuation centres, isolate victims, educate people on how the disease is spread, and convince a skeptical population that the workers were not a threat. With the recent deaths of both prominent local and international health care workers, however, there is concern that the number of volunteers will decline. The situation is also hampered by some airlines eliminating flights to the infected nations or the requirement from some Western nations that anyone arriving from an infected area remain in quarantine for 21 days. Some worry that such restrictions will discourage health care workers from journeying to the infected nations. Recently the Canadian government announced News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 5

3 a plan to encourage health care workers to volunteer their services by providing extra funding and medical equipment. Ethical Dilemma As the rapid increase in Ebola cases became apparent, there was a call for pharmaceutical companies to fast-track vaccines. This raised a number of ethical questions. Typically Western pharmaceutical companies focus on producing drugs that are widely used and promise strong profits. In order for companies to develop an Ebola vaccine they would have to reallocate their resources to produce smaller batches of expensive vaccine and that could impact profits. Under government pressure and encouragement, however, major firms have taken on the task of creating such a vaccine. The Canadian government s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg has had some success in developing a vaccine, and the government has commissioned an American firm to develop and distribute the vaccine. However vaccines take a long to develop and be tested before they can be mass produced. The big question for medical ethicists: should these initial vaccines be tried on human subjects? Should doctors administer the vaccine not knowing the full range of potential side effects? Some trials have been undertaken and they appear to have been moderately successful. Yet even with these successes it will still take months before enough vaccine can be produced. Impact of Ebola While the virus has resulted in thousands dead and exposed the poor condition of many national health care systems, it has also had an impact on cultural practices in some areas. In West Africa, funerals can draw many people together who wash, touch and even kiss the deceased. The World Health Organization has been working with anthropologists to come up with safer burial practices that still take cultural traditions into consideration. There is also the question of bush meat. Should its export be banned in all countries? As the disease spread people were told to remain in their homes. The Sierra Leone government even declared a two-day period where no one was to leave their home while health inspectors conducted visits to locate sick victims. Schools have been closed, workers are not reporting for work, and health care workers are focusing on Ebola at the expense of dealing with other common diseases such as malaria. To consider Ebola may be the first viral pandemic. What lessons can the world learn from this disaster? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 6

4 VIDEO REVIEW Pre viewing 1. Locate Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia on a world map. Why should we be concerned considering how far away those countries are from Canada? 2. Reflect back on a time when you were very sick. What steps were taken to help you recover? Compare those steps to what people in Ebola-infected countries face. While viewing 1. Why might people in infected areas not comply with advice from foreign health care workers? 2. Why would the world only recognize the threat of Ebola when Americans Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol became infected? 3. Why is it so difficult to contain the disease? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 7

5 ACTIVITIES 1. There has been great concern about how globalization has established conditions where a viral global pandemic is possible. Does this mean that globalization is producing more negative than positive results? Evaluate the effects of globalization in chart form and you decide. Examples of Negative Aspects of Globalization Examples of Positive Aspects of Globalization 2. One response to the Ebola crisis has been to raise awareness of the disease and seek global assistance. Celebrities have joined in the effort. Explore the following site and examine the campaigns of these celebrities. Do you feel these campaigns are effective? What additional efforts could these celebrities take to assist in the fight against the spread of the disease? cbc.ca/news/arts/bono matt damon ben affleck join Ebola fight while band aid backlash grows SOS International, a travel and medical securities service company, has produced a video for people in infected areas educating them on the virus. As you examine the video keep these questions in mind and discuss after viewing the material: Does the video provide accurate information? Is the video appropriate for the intended audience? Do you feel the video is effective? If not, what would you suggest to improve the message? vimeo.com/user /review/ /4dfb4adc03 4. What is the Canadian government doing to try and prevent cases of Ebola from appearing in the country? Examine the following government website and assess its response to the disease. Do you feel the government is acting appropriately? Are there other measures the government could take? healthycanadians.gc.ca/diseases conditions maladies affections/disease maladie/ebola/response reponse/indexeng.php News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 8