When The Dying Stops... The Really Hard Work Begins... Africa's Ebola Surviors -- Two Years On...

Perhaps the most important point to be gleaned from this story below, is that once the acute epidemic is arrested in any given locale, the truly life-long work begins: survivors face discrimination, and a banishment from schools -- and usually have lost most of the income generating support of their extended families -- to the virus, in its acute phase. [Earlier background on the nurse, here.]

The lack of an education -- as a path away from destitution -- will likely cripple these young survivors in the future. Please read the below story -- and please consider donating to StreetChild, a charity addressing these problems, globally.

From The Independent (UK), then -- a bit -- but do go read it all:

. . . .[W]hen you dig below the surface, for the worst-impacted families, things are far from back to normal. Pauline battled tears as she met survivors and orphans still facing extreme poverty, social stigma and excruciating health problems as a result of the epidemic that killed 4,000 people in 2014-15. In spite of calling the last two years of her own life "a whirlwind of nastiness", she said that: "It would be an insult" to compare what she had been through to the horrendous situations faced by Sierra Leone’s worst-hit survivors and orphans, like 17-year-old Mbalu. . . .

Mbalu contracted the deadly disease while caring for her five-year-old niece. She said: "When my sister died I took my little niece home with me to care for her, then she started showing signs of sickness herself and died. . . ."

The legacy of Ebola is still very real for children like Mbalu. She hasn’t been in school for two years since Ebola took her father, the family’s breadwinner. Her mother’s meagre earnings are not enough to afford school materials. Her mother said: "I feel so awful that Mbalu cannot go to school, I haven’t been able to send her because we don’t have enough money. I barely make enough to feed us. . . ."

"We had the same virus but our similarities stop there", said Pauline. "I had world-class treatment and she didn’t. . . ."

Indeed. There is still so very much yet to be done in the Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and all of central Africa, in truth. Please do consider donating. . . please. Running silent, now. . . on, to family matters.

UPDATE: I abhor and condemn political violence -- all forms of it. I welcome political discourse -- civil, and otherwise. See Amendment, First. In that regard, I express my sincerely charitable and statesmanlike wishes -- for the speedy and complete recovery of the US House Majority Whip, and all others injured this morning -- save one.

I note that the shooter is widely-reported to have used an assault rifle. I note that he is white. I note that he is a multi-generational, native born US citizen. Thus, no Muslim ban talking point, there for 45.

It is my opinion that, in fact -- his rampage was (in part) made more effective, and potentially more lethal, by the easy availability of assault rifles in the US.

I do continue to support his right to express sentiments critical of the current Administration -- and to have (in 2016) supported Senator Sanders, while opposing HRC.

But now -- as of this morning -- he is just another mass murder (attempt) suspect. And should he survive his "returned fire" wounds -- ones he richly deserves -- I support prosecuting him to the limit of the law. Here endeth this rant.

नमस्ते