Ebola has exposed the challenges faced in many African countries

Ebola - is running amok in West Africa. Threatening multiple countries, with a deadly virus that is currently uncontainable, incurable, and deadly 60% of the time. The human stories are tragic, but so is the broader story.

Western Africa health care systems have crumbled under the pressure of ebola. Already weak, because of a lack of funding and investment they simply cannot cope with this disease. The countries infrastructures are too limited, there are not enough Dr's or Nurses, public awareness is low and suspicious. Ebola, is actually pretty hard to catch- you have to be exposed to bodily fluids directly and it is NOT airborne (Each infection has, on average, exposed around 1.8 other people - a much lower rate than say the flu)

But Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal are so poorly prepared that ebola has slowly crept its way to its current levels.  Ebola has shown the world how weak the health care systems are, how easily they can be put under crippling pressure and how desperately they need investment. This is true all over the continent. Africa needs investment, and now.

I hope ebola will enlighten many to the challenges that Africa faces and spur many to invest in her.  Ebola is far from the only public health issue in Africa - malaria, HIV, TB, diarrhea kills hundred of thousand of Africans every year. Maybe ebola will ignite a waive of investment in Africa like never before? We live in a global village and we cannot afford to not invest in Africa.