Rural Liberian healthcare workers have never had enough rubber gloves. Caring for patients with bare hands is a common practice, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Because of the high fatality and rapid transmission of Ebola, hospital workers throughout Liberia have gone on strike, demanding appropriate protective materials from the government. Some clinics have given their healthcare workers the choice between treating patients without gloves or leaving. Many have chosen the latter, which has left Ebola unchecked in some parts of rural of Liberia, worsening the public health risk the disease poses.
Because of the shortage of protective gear, bleach plays an important role on the front lines in the battle against Ebola. Healthcare workers are required to wash their hands in Clorox water. Patients who survive are subject to being disinfected through several showers in bleach solution before being discharged.
To meet the need for bleach in the struggle against Ebola, Liberian-American nonprofits in the United States have made a push for bleach donation, among other things, to be distributed to families in Liberia in "Ebola kits," kits for minimizing the spread of the virus, according to the Huffington Post. Liberians dispersed across the world have also connected through social media to set up sites in the U.S. and U.K. for chlorine and bleach drop-off, according to the report.
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