“The Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”

Last evening rain clouds gathered with a slight wind.  For a moment it seemed quite hopeful that we might have a shower but soon the clouds dissipated as quickly as they gathered.  Pretty much like this Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone when in February there seemed to be a downward trend in new cases then a resurgence plummeting hopes and shattering dreams of seeing the light at the end of a tunnel.

This morning as we were triaging patients at St. John, a pitter patter was heard on the roof and for a while I thought it was just the WASH person filling his bucket from a tap but it was in fact a shower.  It did not last very long or bring relief to the heat only more intense humidity.

The two Nigerian nurses worked as a team triaging patients in Krio.  I have reached a point when I could understand some of their Krio.  Esther in particular was shrewd in questioning the patients about their possible exposure in Ebola and she did it in great humor.  She created scenario in which exposure could happen in the context of their occupation, many of the women were “traders” or owners of a small business, that is they sold a sundry of things ranging from sweets, tiny bags of peanut butter, salt, sugar, or as one of the drivers said “funny things”.  Other people worked in the mines, fixing Caterpillars, there were tailor, student, a boda boda (or motorbike taxi) driver who stopped working because of Ebola and an unemployed nurse who once interviewed for a job at the ETC, in the end she decided that she did not want to work in a high risk zone.  There was a very happy couple in their forties with a newborn and they traveled all the way from Freetown to be seen at Mebesseneh Hospital because of its reputation of providing high-quality care.

We saw many pregnant women and children but none of them were suspected cases of Ebola.  Most patients were happy, healthy, and robust with the exception of a young man with hollow cheeks and sunken temples, aged beyond his years. The triaging record book showed very few referrals at least in the past week so we kept the outpatient department at St. John busy instead.

“The Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”.  This strange title does not fit well with this post but that has to be a story for another day.  It is best understood by those in the know who despite their veiled objections continue to be drawn to the blog.