Ebola has plagued West Africa before, but this time it has proven to be the deadliest outbreak in history.  So far, the disease has killed 2,461 people in the region.  The government of Sierra-Leone has mandated a three-day lockdown in hopes of containing the outbreak, despite claims from MSF reporting that the lockdown would not help containment.

But because many West Africans are working less, there is a decrease in output, and spending capacity per household.  The economic growth is expected to plummet in Liberia, with a decrease of 11.7%, and drop in Guinea and Sierra Leone, with a decrease of 2.3% and 8.9% (respectively).  This is troublesome, as this hit would set the countries back in their economic growth, which they desperately need to improve living standards and to develop their infrastructure.

Another factor that has aided in reducing the economic output is fear, and misunderstanding.  There have been cases where citizens of these countries have attacked WHO and Red Cross members.  Some citizens still refuse to acknowledge the existence of Ebola, despite the number of lives the disease continues to claim.  Citizens expressing distrust in the government continue to feel resentment and anger towards the authorities: after the 30 August lockdown on West Point, Monrovia, citizen Boakai Passawe said that he felt “cheated of [his] work, of his life”, and that “[when] you have a child to take care of you don’t just go away from them”.

Citizens who refuse to acknowledge this disease need to start doing so immediately: education and recognition are the basis for development and growth.  It is difficult for aid workers to continue their jobs if they are under attack.

Last week, on Thursday, September 18th, three journalists and five other people including health workers were murdered, and dumped into the septic tank of a primary school in Guinea.  Aid is limited, and if we continue down this spiral of denial, the economy will not be the only thing that keeps plummeting.

But we must ask why there is so much distrust in the region.  Perhaps it has to do with the unstable ruling of the Guinean government.  Perhaps it has to do with the Guinean protest of 2009, which resulted in a massacre propagated by the government.  Trust does not come easily, especially if there was no reason to do so in the first place.