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Voices: Ebola establishes dictatorship in Sierra Leone

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A JOURNALIST'S PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF HOW EBOLA HAS AFFECTED DAILY LIVES IN SIERRA LEONE

USA TODAY                                            Nov. 9, 2014.
By Alpha Kamara

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE — Since the Ebola outbreak began in May, Sierra Leone has become an authoritarian state. It's not one dominated by politicians, religious leaders, the army or the police – it's a dictatorship by virus. Ebola has taken over everyone's thoughts, actions, just about everything.

Sierra Leone health workers walk to pick up a 4-month old baby that died of Ebola in central Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Photo EPA)

This notion struck me as I washed my hands. Authorities have wisely set up hand-washing stations everywhere to prevent the spread of Ebola. The stations reinforce the new codes of behavior that dominate what was once an easygoing, multicultural country — avoiding handshakes, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding family, avoiding friends.

Our normal lives are gone. The streets are blocked off. Schools and business are closed. Cinemas and restaurants are shuttered. Even Freetown's lovely beach is lonely and deserted.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/11/09/ebola-in-sierra-leone/18588333/

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REUTERS                                                                                                  NOV. 8, 2014

Relatives of Ebola patients in Sierra Leone on Saturday criticized hospitals for rejecting sick people and not moving fast enough to tackle the outbreak.

British marines are making use of Sierra Leone's extensive network of rivers to provide resources and personnel critical to the Ebola response, Nov. 7, 2014.

...Sierra Leone's deputy minister of health said Ebola had so badly damaged confidence in the West African country's health system that many people were dying from other diseases as the sick refused to come to clinics for treatment.

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http://www.voanews.com/content/relatives-of-ebola-patients-criticize-sierra-leone-hospitals/2513523.html

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