Photo by Simon Townsley
RESILIENCE IN SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a coastal, West African country renowned for its majestic landscapes and friendly people. If you asked Mr. James Bangura, PREDICT’s in-country coordinator for Sierra Leone, what he loves most about his country, he’d tell you, “our resilience as a people. We are a people of strong character. Despite all the odds, we always find a way to survive.”
Battling Ebola: From Response to Prevention
With its dramatic natural beauty and some of the most hospitable people you’ll ever meet, it’s hard to believe that just a few years ago Sierra Leone suffered through one of the most devastating and widely publicized disease outbreaks the world has ever known. While Ebola was spreading rampantly throughout his country, James worked as a lead surveillance officer for the government of Sierra Leone battling on the front lines of an epidemic that eventually claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people across West Africa. For many, the impacts were intensely personal with many losing family members and friends. James lost numerous colleagues, including his mentor Dr. Sheikh Humarr Khan, a distinguished viral hemorrhagic fever specialist. At night, James would soak himself in chlorine and lived separately from his wife and children – a traumatic choice to prevent unintentional spread of the disease to his family.
Despite the pain he and his country have endured, James remains hopeful for the future and is inspired by the scientific accomplishments he’s contributing to as a PREDICT team member. Sierra Leone is part of a PREDICT initiative called the Ebola Host Project, which seeks to identify animal reservoirs of Ebola. The project has had great success in identifying potentially deadly viruses before recognized spillover to people, such as the the discovery of a new species of ebolavirus (Bombali ebolavirus) and the first detection of Marburg virus in West Africa together with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Training the Next Generation
Through his work with PREDICT, James is helping strengthen capacity for the country and is creating a pipeline of One Health-trained professionals for future generations. He advances public health at all levels of government: from providing technical assistance to the Ministries of Health and Agriculture at the national-level, to mobilizing district-level outbreak preparedness and response workshops, to direct work in local villages and communities. Government workers and members from neighboring PREDICT-country teams also benefit from his training and expertise—and that of the Sierra Leone team – building their skills in community engagement procedures and PREDICT animal sampling protocols.
James’ PREDICT/Sierra Leone team members value his leadership and empathy, especially during stressful situations. For many communities, the sight of scientists in white biohazard suits conjures upsetting feelings of burial teams and quarantine procedures. James plays a central role in restoring the trust and alleviating the anxiety of local communities, with the support of PREDICT’s in-country community engagement team. In the interest of successfully disseminating information on health and biosafety practices, James and the team are ultimately advocating for civilians to take control of their personal health and providing guidance on ways to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.
“Bringing what we know to the community brings [me] fulfillment – I tell the community ‘this is what we have seen and most likely what we will find, what we are looking for, and what you are doing could expose you’. Sometimes they had no idea, no one told them, and they are thankful [for our guidance].”
Among many accolades, including a silver presidential medal for his contributions during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, James is perhaps most proud of his work at the heart of PREDICT’s mission: to build an in-country team of experts ready to respond to future zoonotic disease threats. Are there other, undiscovered viruses unknown to us that have the potential to spillover into humans and cause the next international pandemic? “The team we’re building is a group of young, passionate, and intelligent professionals,” said James. “They are eager to get out in the field and provide answers to a lot of our questions about what else is out there.”