Ebola Contact Tracers Monitor Families Of Infected People Everyday

Early every morning contact tracers begin their daily rounds visiting the families and other contacts of those that have been diagnosed with the Ebola virus. It is a difficult and sometimes dangerous job.

"Whoever was in contact with a confirmed or a probable case of Ebola has to be followed for 21 days. So, when they accept us to come and visit them for all those days, we go on a daily basis. We ask them what would be an ideal time for them. If they say it's five AM, we have to be there at 5 AM; if they tell us is 6 PM, we have to be there at 6 PM." WHO Epidemiologist Dr. Laurel Zomahoun stated.

N'daye Conte is an Ebola survivor. Fifty-two of her family members and contacts are being monitored daily. Two of her sisters are still in the hospital infected with the virus.

Contrary to the popular belief that once you are taken to a hospital with Ebola, you never come out alive, she tells a positive story.

"We were well treated. We received food and we were all making jokes. People spoke positively. Some say that once you there you die, but I never saw that. It never happened. It all went well." Ebola Survivor N'daye Conte stated.

Stigma and denial are two problems faced by contact tracers, who sometimes have to face hostile and even violent reactions.

"We are facing more violence. In the past weeks we have several times on many occasions we have been people throwing stones at us, people insulting us, not a big deal, but sometimes it can go to life threatening situations where they typically tell us you have to leave or you die, right now." Dr. Laurel Zomahoun added.

Getting the message through to the communities is the hardest part of the job.

Contact tracing is one the pillars for fighting Ebola established by the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). The other three pillars are case management, social mobilization and safe and dignified burials

According to the WHO, as off 7 January, there have been 2,775 confirmed people infected by the Ebola virus in Guinea since the beginning of the outbreak. 1,781 people have died.

SHOTLIST:
14 JANUARY 2014, MATOTO COMMUNITY, CONAKRY, GUINEA

Various shots, WHO contact tracers walking through neighbourhood streets
Contact tracers walking into house
Various shots, contact tracer asking man about his health
Contact tracer taking man's temperature
Ebola survivor N'daye Conte and her father
Various shots, woman and child washing hands
Contact trace talking to man
Children,
Contact tracer taking man's temperature

SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Laurel Zomahoun, WHO Epidemiologist:
"Whoever was in contact with a confirmed or a probable case of Ebola has to be followed for 21 days. So, when they accept us to come and visit them for all those days, we go on a daily basis. We ask them what would be an ideal time for them. If they say it's five AM, we have to be there at 5 AM; if they tell us is 6 PM, we have to be there at 6 PM."

SOUNDBITE (French) N'daye Conte, Ebola Survivor:
"We were well treated. We received food and we were all making jokes. People spoke positively. Some say that once you there you die, but I never saw that. It never happened. It all went well."

SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Laurel Zomahoun, WHO Epidemiologist:
"We are facing more violence. In the past weeks we have several times on many occasions we have been people throwing stones at us, people insulting us, not a big deal, but sometimes it can go to life threatening situations where they typically tell us you have to leave or you die, right now."

DURATION: 02:26