Preventing a Global Health Crisis
We are witnessing the largest Ebola outbreak in history. While many of us have seen the mainstream media headlines, a situation like this, that is taking place on the other side of the world, doesn’t yet feel like a humanitarian disaster. However, we are near the brink of a worldwide health crisis. With nearly 3,500 dead and 7,500 recorded cases, the outbreak is needlessly spreading everyday. With the right funding and tools, health workers around the world could easily contain the disease and prevent its transmission.
This month’s nonprofit is an organization specializing in these types of emergency humanitarian needs. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to these crises and helps people survive and rebuild their lives. The IRC has been in Liberia and Sierra Leone working with local health organizations and educating them on the best way to prevent the spread of disease. They have also been distributing infection control supplies and protective equipment to health facilities throughout the country. All of the funds we raise this month will go towards IRC’s efforts to fight Ebola in West Africa.
Because the spread of disease is not marked by a single, large-scale, tragic event like a natural disaster, and because many aid organizations’ funds are earmarked for specific projects, the aid response for epidemics is painfully slow. As discussed on a recent Planet Money podcast, Why Raising Money For Ebola Is Hard, people tend to look the other way. Let’s change that and draw attention to one of the largest preventable health epidemics of our time.
