Ebola: The Doctors' Story

Man: Push it in. Just like that.

This way, and sit down on the chair, okay?

There's that healthy dose of fear.

Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim:

Sometimes you stumble upon good news

and sometimes you stumble upon bad news.

We are negative!

Tell them that Ebola is real.

Woman on radio: ...take aim to fight against Ebola.

It is not easy, but I'm praying that God

will give them more ideas to fight this disease

in our beloved countries coming from...

Narrator: It's been over 10 months

since the first victim of this Ebola outbreak died,

known as patient zero.

Dr. Jay Achar: We've got two teams getting ready.

Put your mask on.

Narrator: Ebola cases are in the tens of thousands

and multiplying every few weeks.

To date, there have been over 3,000 reported deaths.

It's four bodies, yeah.

Two in each ambulance.

I can't get in to confirm

because it's too dangerous.

Woman: Okay, they're coming.

We don't need a stretcher.

- Man: For this one? - Jay: Just for the first one.

In the PPE, you've got big boots on

and it's very hot and slippery.

You don't want to have an accident in there

because, obviously, dead bodies

have very high levels of the virus in all of their body fluids,

so it's a risky place to be to acquire Ebola.

- Man: Just wait. - Woman: No, no, no, no!

You want only hygienists or also body bags?

Two more gray body bags

and a few more hygienists.

- Okay. Okay. - Just check that they're organizing themselves, yeah?

Axelle Vandoornick: It's all new here.

You can't basically use your experience

that you had before

in a war context or in a refugee camp

or in whatever emergencies, natural disasters.

It's so different.

Okay, where is the third ambulance?

Where did it stop? We lost it on the way.

We only received two ambulances.

Okay, sir, there are four dead on arrival,

because there were too many in the second ambulance.

So this is why you need to put the patients

in three different ambulances.

We have on the phone every night people calling.

"We have 30 patients. We have 50 patients."

For example, three days ago,

we had one district calling us.

They had 38 patients.

They called me yesterday, they have 75.

Joshua Salia:

You mistake, you are gone.

If we don't do this job, then who will do it?

Jay: I'll get some metoclopramide in a syringe

if you want to give it IM.

We just give him a number.

It's clear to say that it's a complete disaster.

I think it's beyond the scope of one organization

just to say, "Yeah, we'll cover this."

Even with MSF's experience and resources,

this is too much.

No, wait for the hygienist.

Excuse me?

It's three whole countries, potentially,

and there's the prospect of it going to other countries.

Narrator: 35-year-old emergency response doctor

Javid Abdelmoneim

has been on previous Doctors Without Borders missions,

but this will be his first time

on the Ebola front line.

Man on radio: In Liberia, a French worker who contracted Ebola

is still waiting evacuation to Paris.

- Doctors Without Borders... - Narrator: Dr. Javid

begins his one-month deployment in Kailahun

just as the first Doctors Without Borders international staff member

catches Ebola.

The risks of the job are clear.

Javid: I'm trying to tell myself every few seconds,

"You don't want Ebola. You don't want Ebola. You don't want Ebola.

Be careful. Be careful."

Javid: Okey-dokey.

Thank you very much.

Haven't done anything yet and we're disinfecting already.

That's good.

( people speaking native language )

- Javid: You all right? - So I could give you a hug now 'cause I'm clean.

Javid: I don't want it.

Yeah, let me give you a shake.

Hi-- hi, Jay. Nice to see you. We were at uni together.

- So, yeah, definitely... - Jay: He looks terrible 10 years on.

He hasn't aged well.

Just all the way in.

Narrator: Those who are going to be working

inside the high-risk zone

will have had two days' training

in biohazard safety procedures.

Javid: This is the first time I'm going into the high-risk zone.

I've practiced putting this on once before,

but I think this is the first time that it's sort of...

hit home that...

I'm going in.

Yes?

Narrator: The personal protection equipment, or PPE,

has been designed to shield the wearer

from infection by the Ebola virus.

It consists of a protective bodysuit,

headgear, mask,

thick plastic apron,

multiple layers of chemical-resistant gloves,

and a pair of plastic goggles.

The doctors must complete their rounds quickly

under all that equipment

as they endure temperatures that can reach

up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Javid: The nerves have started.

There's that healthy dose of fear.

Narrator: Javid will be wearing a miniature camera

attached to his goggles

to provide a unique doctor's-eye view

inside the high-risk zone.

Javid: It's sparse.

They're in a tent. It's hot and humid.

They get given a blanket, a set of clothes,

a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a washing bowl when they arrive,

and three meals a day.

But if they're too weak to walk,

they're basically just lying in bed alone.

People who are newly really sick with it,

they're just flat, you know?

Can't even talk.

John, hello.

My name's Javid. I'm one of the doctors.

It's a feature of the Ebola

to have this complete fatigue,

so much so that they can barely even open their eyes.

So they're either unconscious or just super fatigued.

It's really quite nasty.

Javid:

Man: Yeah.

Javid: Of course so while the risk is reduced,

there are still accidents and there are still mishaps

and so forth.

Woman:

Javid:

Woman: Okay, it's just me sweating.

Woman #2: Sir, your test was positive for Ebola.

Javid: There are restrictions to your sight with the goggles.

There are sharp edges on wood.

There are metal posts.

You can trip and fall.

There are restrictions to your movements

with everything that you're wearing.

You go in with a buddy

and if they go, "Oh, your goggles slipped,"

you have to walk out of there regardless of what you're doing straightaway.

Javid:

Dennis:

Javid:

Dennis:

Javid:

Narrator: The riskiest part of the process

is the careful removal

of the now infected protective equipment

with chlorine washing and spraying at every stage.

Narrator: Even the camera gets a chlorine bath.

Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake.

Javid: So, I had to come out early because...

my yellow overall had slipped down

and my second pair of gloves,

which is to my skin, had slipped up,

so I only had literally just the one layer of latex

instead of the three layers

between me and the outside world.

My blue glove had just crawled up with sweat

and I had-- just had this area and this area exposed.

And I noticed, so I asked Dennis

and he was like, "Yeah, we have to get out right now.

It's just not safe."

So I've sort of spoilt it for him.

We couldn't finish what we went in to do.

Yeah, I'm super paranoid and then I've just itched my face

even though I've washed my hands 400 times coming out of there.

But I've just done this and now I'm, like...

This is exactly what I thought I wouldn't be like.

There, I did it again.

So, yeah, it does play on your mind.

It does play on your mind. It's funny.

I'm going to wash again just in--

( people speaking native language )

Javid: Robert and Steven.

Woman:

Narrator: An ambulance arrives at the admissions tent

containing 10 patients crammed into one vehicle.