Ebola outbreak: aid worker Craig Kenzie says more volunteers needed
The Early Edition | CBC News | Posted: December 10, 2014 1:16 AM | Last Updated: December 10, 2014
Vancouver aid worker is on his second mission to Sierra Leone for Doctors Without Borders
Vancouver man Craig Kenzie is on his second mission to Sierra Leone for Doctors Without Borders, as the Ebola virus continues to spread in the West African country.
- Ebola 'flaming strongly' in western Sierra Leone, Guinea's forests, WHO says
- Ebola outbreak: What you need to know now
- Tracking the spread of the deadly Ebola virus
Kenzie is a Hospital Logistics/Water and Sanitation Manager with the medical relief organization, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières. He says there aren't enough aid workers to help with the ongoing Ebola crisis.
"When you're actually here in Sierra Leone, it's a lot more real," he told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff.
"It's really hard when you know the staff that we have working here … are either coming and not stopping and doing long missions, or coming back to do another turn before they wanted to, just because we don't have enough people to cover all the gaps."
The World Health Organization reported more than 6,070 people have died of Ebola, a number that continues to rise.
Kenzie said aid hasn't caught up to the point it needs to.
Kenzie said aid hasn't caught up to the point it needs to.
"The resources to the international community have significantly increased … but the cases speak for themselves. It's continuing to expand and that's not including all the cases that aren't going report."
Kenzie said staffing has been difficult this year for Doctors Without Borders, which is helping a number of other crisis zones. He said the organization is struggling to recruit enough people to match demand.
"We're stretched really thin, and Ebola's really stretched us over our max."
Kenzie won't be home for Christmas, but he said other aid workers — especially those with young children — need the holiday break more than he does.
"I think it's tougher for [my family] than it is for me. When you're here, the needs are clear."