This is a story on Hidden Brain, the NPR podcast I listen to on a regular basis. Anything that Hidden Brain produces is worth listening to; I always learn something new. I think this episode is worth listening to particularly right now, during this pandemic, because it is a reminder to me of how smart, devoted people can make a difference in changing the course of history.
The episode summary starts the story in, “the West African nation of Liberia in 2015. And what followed was a truly unconventional effort by epidemiologists to stop a new Ebola outbreak…It was all done in an effort to overcome what can be the biggest obstacle in public health: a severe lack of trust.”
There are several ways in which the story parallels what is happening now. There is Liberians’ lack of trust in their government. There is Liberians’ lack of trust in the medical establishment to put public health before profit. There is Liberians’ lack of trust in their medical professionals to know the truth about the illness. And, there is essential lack of trust between people to do the right thing for each other’s well being. It is as though the virus gets in the cracks of how people feel about each other when they are afraid and exploits those cracks; it expands and pushes people further apart, at a time when they need each other the most.
But the small team of doctors in Liberia are determined to stop the spread of Ebola. They are not just determined – they do not seem to consider failure an option. They will try anything, any means, any tactic, to stop the virus from taking hold. They understand that in order to rescue the people who were exposed, they need to gain their trust. I think that is an important part of the Hidden Brain story. I would not take anything away from that but I also wanted to know more about these doctors. Why do we not have more people like them leading the way through the pandemic now?