“When the Ebola virus turned from a nightmare into a real danger, the world was not ready. Only people were ready, ”Nancy Gibbs, Time editor.

The image of a health worker, who is fighting with the spread of the Ebola virus, has become a man of the year 2014 according to Time magazine.

When the Ebola virus turned from an invisible monster, from Hollywood horror and nightmare in real danger, the world was not ready, writes Time editor Nancy Gibbs in his article. “World governments were powerless to resist the spread of fever. WHO denied danger and created confusion. The danger was growing, but the first worried did not believe. Only people were ready for confrontation – volunteers from “doctors without borders” and other organizations from all over the world. They fought with a disease shoulder to shoulder with local doctors and nurses, ambulance drivers and funeral brigades.

What prompted them to this? Someone talks about God, someone about duty, someone about the instinct move towards the danger, and not from it. “If someone comes from America or Uganda to help my people,” says Iris Martor, a nurse from Liberia, “why can’t I?”Fodey Gallah, an ambulance, who managed to survive after illness, considers his immunity for nothing. “I want to donate blood to save people,” he says. – I’m going to fight the Ebola virus of all my strength “. A nurse from “doctors without borders” Salome Karwah remained with patients even after she herself suffered the disease and lost both parents in one week. “God gave me a chance to help others,” she says.

Small children saw their mothers and fathers die, and no one could even hug these babies, because the hug could lead to infection. “People meet death alone, without loved ones and loved ones, when only people are nearby in biological protection costumes,” says Joanne Liu, president of “doctors

without borders”. – No one should die so much “.

What we do with what we have learned? It was a test for the world: a test for the ability to resist possible pandemia. And this test is not passed “. The questions remained unanswered – how to protect against the danger of those who have not yet become ill, and how to help those who have already become infected.

“Ebola is a war and a warning. The world healthcare system is not strong enough to guarantee us safety from infectious diseases. “Us” is everyone and everyone, not only residents of remote places where the disease is just one threat of many. Now the world can sleep peacefully at night only thanks to a group of people who are ready to fight. For the tireless courage and mercy, for the fact that they gave the world time to strengthen the defense, for risk, for perseverance, for dedication and for salvation-wrestlers with Ebola are recognized by Time magazine “People of the Year 2014”*.

The nomination “Man of the Year” has been awarded Time magazine since 1927. The winner is called in the December issue of the publication. In different years, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama became the “man of the year”. In 2013, the 266th Pope Francis became the “man of the year”. Collective images were also included in the history of the magazine: the “man of the year” were recognized as an American soldier (1950 and 2003), a Hungarian fighter for freedom (1956), “Baby-Bummers” (1966) and representatives of the middle class (1969), as well as a userInternet (or rather, “you” – in 2006). The “man of the year” was even a personal computer (1982) and Planet Earth (1988).