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Obama says West Africa 'overwhelmed' by Ebola epidemic

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Health systems in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been unable to stem the epidemic, which has killed 3,000 people since the start of the year, and are in dire need of doctors, nurses, medical equipment and supplies.

And local education of the virus! They need to take proper precautions and know why.

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West Africa is now "overwhelmed" because the international response since back last March when the outbreak was announced and could have been easily contained has been "underwhelming". Another indication that African lives are valued less.

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Well, Boko Haram got what it wished for. And with any luck may they be laid low by the simplest of diseases that they helped to propagate by their ignorance of "No western education, medication, etc."

@Warispeace actually you have here tribal backwoods thinking that made this situation drastically worse than it had to be. There were many reports of people not believing the disease was real, and relying on "witch doctors" and hearsay. Did you know that some folks there killed themselves off believing that drinking chlorine would prevent ebola from infecting them? Lets just say without knowledge, and refusal to understand it brings about disaster. And reveling in ignorance is whats brought them to this.

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West Africa is cetainly overwhelmed, but Ebola is a symptom, not a cause. Where else in the world would a screaming Ebola patient draw a crowd of hundreds for a close look? Anywhere else the crowd would be running the opposite way. Where else would gangs of thieves steel the clothing and bedding of an dying Ebola patient while said patient was in the bed and wearing the clothes?

Much of the aid, medicine, and money sent to west Africa ends up stolen, or diverted into the accounts of administrators and government officials. We tried taking such people and matters to task in Somalia back in 1993 by taking local authorities (such as there were) out of the loop, sending in the Army, punishing the theives, and trying to hand out aid directly. The efforts didn't work, and were unappreciated. I remember, because my unit was there.

All the expensive infrastructure which was built ended up being destroyed and looted, even the concrete foundations were broken up to steal the metal reinforcing bars.

You can't do anything to help people when they are not, ever, and at any point, willing to help themselves.

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