Health
MSF Closes Final Ebola Projects For Survivors
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa infected more than 28,700 people and killed more than 11,300 men, women and children.
Whole families were ripped apart and communities were devastated by the disease, which saw schools close, economies grind to a halt and health systems collapse, leading to even greater loss of life.
The shocking human toll of the outbreak was exacerbated by the painfully slow international response.
“The suffering caused by the Ebola outbreak was immeasurable,” says Brice De La Vingne, operations director for MSF. “It has left an indelible mark on every MSF staff member who travelled to work in West Africa. For our staff from the region, the impact was even greater – they were living with the daily threat of the disease, while at work they faced the devastating reality of Ebola head on. But for those who were infected with the disease, and for their families, it was nothing short of hell.”
Those who survived Ebola often found the battle was not over – many faced significant medical and mental health problems. However, because there had never before been an outbreak of this magnitude, there was limited understanding of what assistance people would need to pick up the pieces.
“As the outbreak subsided, it became apparent that Ebola survivors and their families would need significant support,” says Petra Becker, MSF head of mission in Liberia. “The majority of survivors experienced physical disorders such as joint pain and neurological or ophthalmological problems. At the same time, many survivors, as well as their friends, family and caregivers, experienced significant mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, after being confronted so closely with death.”
MSF set up dedicated survivors’ clinics in the three worst affected countries.
The first opened in Monrovia, Liberia, in January 2015 and provided more than 1,500 medical consultations before closing in August 2016.
A second clinic in Guinea, Conakry, cared for 330 survivors and more than 350 of their relatives in the Coyah and Forécariah districts of the city.
A similar clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone, provided mental and medical healthcare to more than 400 survivors and their families, organising more than 450 individual and group sessions to provide psychological support.
“Over time and after treatment, the severity of people’s psychological and physical disorders has gradually diminished,” says Jacob Maikere, MSF head of mission in Sierra Leone. “Yet many survivors say that they are still deeply disturbed by the smell of chlorine, which immediately transports them back the horror of the Ebola management centres.”
Fight against discrimination and stigma
Ebola survivors and their families also faced stigma when they returned to their communities.
MSF, together with other organisations and alongside national initiatives, sent teams out into affected communities to spread health messages and to help reduce stigma and discrimination. In Guinea, for example, MSF reached 18,300 people through group and individual sessions.
“Stigma remains a huge issue for those who survived Ebola and for their families, despite awareness and information campaigns during and after the outbreak,” says Jacob Maikere. “The discrimination takes many forms, with people losing their jobs or their partners, or being rejected by their family or community, all of which can have a hugely destabilising impact on their lives.”
Health workers hard hit
Health workers in the three worst affected countries paid a heavy price for responding to the disease, with many losing their lives. Those who survived witnessed countless deaths, and had to live with the fear that they too would be infected in their own communities as Ebola spread.
“Health workers in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia saved many of their fellow citizens from Ebola,” says Ibrahim Diallo, MSF head of mission in Guinea. “But the virus created such fear in the country that many were viewed with suspicion or even discriminated against because of the contact that they had with people who were sick.”
MSF handing over post-Ebola care
In late-September, MSF ended its medical and mental health programmes for survivors in Guinea and Sierra Leone, while in Liberia, post-Ebola activities will finish before the end of the year. Most medical conditions affecting survivors, such as eye and joint problems, have now been treated, and MSF has arranged for those who need ongoing mental health support to receive continuing care within their national health systems or from other organisations.
Continued MSF care in West Africa
MSF says it will continue its efforts to provide services focusing on the unmet health needs of vulnerable people throughout the three affected countries.
“Any strengthening of health services in the three affected countries must include improving infection control measures, surveillance systems to ensure early monitoring of potential cases, and basic contingency plans allowing for a quick response to an outbreak of Ebola or other diseases,” says Mit Philips, health policy advisor for MSF. “The countries also need catch-up plans for services that lapsed during the epidemic, such as treatment for HIV and TB, as well as preventative services for which coverage remains low.”
In Monrovia, MSF has opened a paediatric hospital, Bardnesville Junction Hospital. Between January and August 2016, the hospital provided more than 3,280 emergency consultations and admitted 880 children as inpatients, mainly for malaria. The hospital’s neonatal unit has cared for 512 newborn babies.
MSF is also continuing to provide care to HIV patients in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and maternity care in the Tonkolili and Koinadugu districts in Sierra Leone. The organisation has also positioned emergency supplies in the region to make sure that medical teams can respond quickly to a future outbreak of Ebola or to other epidemic threats.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The sum of $250,000 in humanitarian funding is to be provided by Binance to support the frontline response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The cryptocurrency exchange said the funds would be used to enable rapid response in high-risk and underserved areas, where access to healthcare infrastructure, protective resources, and timely public health information remains limited.
The money will be shared equally between the Uganda Red Cross Society and Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), supporting urgent interventions in affected and high-risk communities.
Binance’s contribution will help strengthen emergency medical care and treatment, community awareness and prevention campaigns, contact tracing and containment support, and the provision of sanitation supplies and protective equipment for frontline workers.
By supporting both immediate response activities and preventative education, Binance aims to contribute to reducing transmission and strengthening community resilience.
“Communities across Africa continue to show extraordinary resilience in the face of complex challenges, but frontline responders should not have to face crises like this alone,” the co-chief executive of Binance, Mr Richard Teng, said.
“The teams working to contain the Ebola disease outbreak are delivering vital, life-saving support under incredibly difficult conditions.
“We are proud to support both the Uganda Red Cross Society and Doctors Without Borders as they work to protect vulnerable populations, strengthen local response efforts, and deliver urgent care where it is needed most,” he added.
Also commenting, the Secretary General for the Uganda Red Cross Society, Mr Robert Kwesiga, said, “Strong partnerships are essential during public health emergencies since we are not able to manage the outbreak alone.
“The support from Binance comes in so timely and handy, and will help us respond more rapidly, reach more at-risk communities, and reinforce the frontline services needed to help contain the outbreak and save lives.”
The MSF Emergency Programme Manager, Trish Newport, while speaking on the initiative, said, “The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border, is extremely concerning. In Ituri, many people already struggle to access healthcare and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.”
Caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, this Ebola disease outbreak has placed acute pressure on already fragile health systems in eastern DRC and the wider region.
Local authorities, international agencies, and humanitarian organisations are racing to contain it and protect affected communities.
Binance’s support is intended to reinforce these efforts at a critical moment. It reflects the company’s broader commitment to supporting communities across Africa through programmes focused on education, financial inclusion, digital skills development, and community empowerment.
In this case, Binance is extending that commitment to urgent humanitarian and public health needs by working alongside trusted organisations with deep frontline expertise.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
According to a disclosure by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
The team will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives.
The presidency noted that the approval followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country.
Ebola has recently resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, both neighbouring countries.
Other key stakeholders at the meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Lagos State Government and others.
Mr Onanuga also disclosed that President Tinubu directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Additional measures to be implemented by the Task Force include the intensification of passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols; enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries.
The Task Force was further mandated to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Over 500 residents of Ajegunle in Lagos enjoyed free healthcare services, comprehensive health education, youth mentorship, and community engagement activities at a one-day event organised by Queens Palm Support Initiative (QPSI).
This is part of the organisation’s Reach 1000 Initiative, deliberately designed to address immediate healthcare needs and empower individuals with the knowledge, resources, and support required to live healthier, more productive, and dignified lives.
QPSI is a non-profit organisation established by Ms Sabrina Ozma dedicated to advancing community development, healthcare advocacy, youth empowerment, leadership education, and social impact interventions across Nigeria. Fou
At the Ajegunle programme held at Bola Ige Millennium School, Tolu Complex, participants received a comprehensive range of healthcare services facilitated by accredited medical professionals, including general medical consultations and health assessments, malaria screening, diagnosis and treatment, blood sugar testing and diabetes awareness, comprehensive eye examinations and vision assessments, as well as specialist neurosurgical consultations provided by medical experts from Dukes Neurosurgery and Specialist Hospital.
Also, Reals Pharmaceutical Limited provided and distributed antimalarial medications to beneficiaries, ensuring continuity of treatment and improved health outcomes beyond the day of the outreach.
Ms Ozma, while speaking at the event, said access to quality healthcare remains one of the most pressing challenges confronting underserved communities across Nigeria.
According to her, interventions such as the Reach 1000 Initiative are deliberately designed to close this gap, not only by addressing immediate healthcare needs but by empowering individuals with the knowledge, resources, and support required to live healthier, more productive, and dignified lives.
Beyond healthcare delivery, the initiative featured structured health education and awareness sessions focused on disease prevention and early symptom recognition, personal hygiene and sanitation best practices, nutrition and food safety, healthy lifestyle habits, and the importance of routine medical check-ups.
In addition, a media personality and youth advocate, Ms Blessing Lopez, led engaging conversations around personal growth, confidence, and purpose-driven living, while entertainer Larry J inspired participants through discussions on resilience, positive decision-making, and the importance of becoming active contributors to societal progress.
The programme also attracted notable participation from government institutions and civil society organisations, highlighting the importance of multi-sector collaboration in addressing community challenges.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, engaged participants on safeguarding, protection against domestic and sexual violence, and the importance of building safer communities.
Further, representatives of the Cleen Foundation facilitated discussions on crime prevention, community security, and the role of young people in promoting civic responsibility and the rule of law, while the Crime Prevention Partnership (CPP) led discussions on community-led safety strategies and citizen participation in fostering safer neighbourhoods.
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