This case study focuses on two epidemic diseases in Sierra Leone. Ebola in 2014–15 drew international response, but was contained within the Upper West African region. COVID-19 reached Sierra Leone in April 2020 as part of a global pandemic. Local social knowledge has been an important factor in shaping responses to both diseases. In the case of Ebola, infection was concentrated in families, and responders needed a good knowledge of family interactional dynamics. COVID-19 is a more public disease. Responders have to assess risk factors in workplaces, markets, and places of worship. Comparing and contrasting the two cases also draws attention to different aspects of the historical context. Ebola response indexes Sierra Leone’s history as a humanitarian project associated with the abolition of the slave trade. The pandemic challenge of COVID-19 draws attention to Sierra Leone’s nodal position within a global diaspora rooted in Atlantic slavery and emancipation. Responders are forced to consider the ways in which the two infections articulate different aspects of calls for global social justice.

中文翻译：

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塞拉利昂的埃博拉病毒和 COVID-19：社会流行病的比较教训

本案例研究侧重于塞拉利昂的两种流行病。2014-15 年的埃博拉病毒引起了国际反应，但被控制在上西非地区。作为全球大流行的一部分，COVID-19 于 2020 年 4 月到达塞拉利昂。当地社会知识一直是影响对这两种疾病的反应的重要因素。就埃博拉而言，感染集中在家庭中，响应者需要对家庭互动动态有很好的了解。COVID-19 是一种更常见的疾病。响应者必须评估工作场所、市场和礼拜场所的风险因素。比较和对比这两个案例也引起了人们对历史背景不同方面的关注。埃博拉应对措施将塞拉利昂的历史列为与废除奴隶贸易相关的人道主义项目。COVID-19 的大流行挑战引起了人们对塞拉利昂在植根于大西洋奴隶制和解放的全球侨民中的节点地位的关注。响应者被迫考虑这两种感染如何表达呼吁全球社会正义的不同方面。