By Milca Nunez, Frist Global Health Leader

It’s been only a few days since we set foot on the beautiful islands of the Dominican Republic. I could not believe it finally happened; it was so surreal. Our preceptor, Mrs. Teresa Narvaez (who is the country director for Project HOPE and the clinics), picked us up from the airport and took us to eat some “sancocho”, which is a delicately seasoned stew with spices, meat, potatoes, lemon, and avocado.

Sen. Bill Frist

Read my earlier Ebola primer and a look at what we know about how the virus behaves.

As the Ebola situation in West Africa progresses, we are dealing with increasingly complex medical and cultural challenges. I addressed some of the cultural issues in a Morning Consult column last month, and highlighted the importance of identifying infected patients:

The only solution is prevention, which relies on containment and isolation. The sick must be rapidly identified and contained. Their contacts must be followed for 21 days so they can be rapidly isolated, should they develop symptoms. Their care must be delivered in a hazmat suit. If the patient dies, and [50%] do, the body must be properly disposed of because a recently deceased Ebola victim is actively shedding the virus from his skin.

J. Stephen Morrison

As September opened, a striking consensus had emerged among global health leaders that the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has transmuted into a colossus that continues to gather force: It is "spiraling out of control" (Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC); “We understand the outbreak is moving beyond our grasp” (Dr. David Nabarro, Senior UN System Coordinator for Ebola Disease ); Ebola is “a global threat” that “ will get worse before it gets better, and it requires a well-coordinated big surge of outbreak response” (World Health Organization Director General Dr. Margaret Chan); “Six months into the worst epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it. Leaders are failing to come to grips with the transnational threat” (Dr. Joanne Liu, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) International President).

This faith-based conference will host dynamic speakers talking about the critical global health issues of maternal and child health, with a special emphasis on the benefits of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies as a life-saving mechanism in the developing world. Local and national speakers will come together to talk about their special work as service providers in countries around the world, caring for mothers and children worldwide. We will lead a robust Q&A session with all the speakers encouraging further discussion. And the conference will close with practical, simple steps for how YOU can save lies and help families thrive in the developing world.