Help for Ebola victims in West Africa:
I.S.A.R. Germany builds isolation centres in Liberia (2014)

Help for Ebola victims in Liberia

In autumn 2014, a particular issue comes to the public's attention. The dangerous infectious disease Ebola is spreading rapidly in West Africa. I.S.A.R. Germany takes action to help the people in the region with its logistical and medical expertise. In collaboration with its partner action medeor, two isolation centres are being set up in the Liberian capital Monrovia. Each of these has space for 22 patients. Three employees from I.S.A.R. Germany travelled to Liberia to take care of customs clearance, arrangements with the local authorities, site selection and construction. The necessary electricity, water and sewage connections also had to be organised. The aim was to hand over the stations to the Ministry of Health fully operational within 14 days.

I.S.A.R. Germany in close co-operation with the UN

The isolation stations are two special tents manufactured in the USA. They were financed by the Else-Kröner-Fresenius Foundation. The tents are divided into an access area, a changing area and an isolation/treatment area. The isolation wards are equipped with a ventilation system. Air-conditioned fresh air is brought into the tents and the used air is extracted. The air passes through a fine dust filter and UV radiation to kill viruses and bacteria. To realise the project in Liberia, the I.S.A.R. team worked closely with the country's authorities and representatives of the United Nations in Liberia. It paid off that I.S.A.R. Germany has extensive experience with worldwide operations in disaster-stricken countries.

Stopping the spread of Ebola

"By delivering and setting up the wards, we have made a significant contribution to preventing the disease from spreading further," says I.S.A.R. President Dr Daniela Lesmeister. "After all, we were able to cover around twenty per cent of the need identified by the World Health Organisation with 44 treatment places at the time of the mission. I.S.A.R. Germany and action medeor have thus sent a clear signal in the fight against this rapidly spreading disease."