A British nurse working on the frontline of the latest Ebola outbreak has warned that the disease poses a “direct threat” to global health security, as cases spike in Central Africa.
Sarah Collins, a 34-year-old nurse from Manchester who has been deployed to the outbreak zone in Uganda, told this newspaper that the situation was “worse than anything I have seen in a decade”. She said: “The virus is moving faster than we can trace it. If the world looks away now, it will be a catastrophe.”
Her warning comes as the World Health Organisation reports 143 confirmed cases and 79 deaths in the past month. The epicentre is a remote region near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. But there are fears that the outbreak could spread to major cities, where weaker health systems would be overwhelmed.
“I have seen families wiped out in days,” Collins said. “We need more beds, more protective equipment, and more staff. The NHS is stretched but here they have nothing.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was “closely monitoring” the outbreak and providing support through the UK’s International Health Regulations team. But critics say the government has cut overseas aid, leaving Britain less able to protect itself from diseases that do not respect borders.
Dr. Matthew Fox, a professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “Every outbreak is a test of our global system. We have failed before. We cannot afford to fail again.”
Collins, who is working 14-hour shifts in a field hospital, said she had not been offered a vaccine because supplies are scarce. “The people who are sick are the ones who cannot afford to flee,” she said. “They are the nurses, the taxi drivers, the market traders. They are my patients. They are us.”
As the WHO considers declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Collins appealed to the British public: “Do not forget about us. This virus is not just their problem. It is everyone’s problem.”
