Local Woman Concerned About Fiance In Liberia Amid Deadly Ebola Outbreak
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — An ebola outbreak that has already claimed nearly 750 lives has fears rising at home for those with loved ones in Africa.
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone in West Africa have seen the worst of the outbreak.
Lana Spellman's just returned from Liberia after visiting her fiance.
On Friday, schools and offices were shut down as the government scrubbed everything in an effort to get rid of the disease.
"It's just scary; I don't have control of anything," Spellman said. "So I just have to sit and basically wait."
Her fiance Walter is in one of the several west African countries trying to stop the spread of ebola.
"During my trip, too, there was one doctor that died that was like the head medical chief of the hospital," Spellman said.
Her mother is from Liberia, and she met Walter when visiting family.
"People are just scared, they are shutting everything down, and you have to go out to work and get food, and people can't do that," she said.
Spellman's been hounding her fiance, who works as a government engineer in Liberia, to be careful, worried that direct contact with the wrong person could be deadly.
Holding out hope in the country is tough, especially with agencies such as the World Health Organization saying the outbreak is moving too fast to control.
But a continent away, Spellman just has to wait and hope health workers can stop the spread of ebola.
"I'm scared, nervous and I'm just praying they get a hold of everything," she said.
