Ebola surging in Sierra Leone amid lack of treatment centers: U.N.

[Gert van der Hoek]

nov 6 2014

Ebola surging in Sierra Leone amid lack of treatment centers: U.N.

DAKAR (Reuters) - The number of Ebola cases is surging in Sierra Leone as the country suffers from a lack of treatment centers, while lack of food and basic goods is forcing some people to leave quarantine areas, the United Nations said.

The U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) said in its weekly report that a total of 1,062 people had died in Sierra Leone from the virus, with the outbreak particularly virulent in the western areas around the coastal capital Freetown.

Sierra Leone is emerging as the focal point for concern in the worst Ebola outbreak on record.

More: Yahoo News

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Ebola surging in Sierra Leone amid lack of treatment centers: U.N.

6 NOVEMBER 2014

Sierra Leone: Hopes of Controlling Sierra Leone's Ebola Outbreak Remain Grim

By Lansana Fofana

Freetown ? The fight against the deadly Ebola epidemic ravaging West Africa seems to be hanging in the balance as Sierra Leone's Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr Abubakar Fofana told IPS that the government is overwhelmed by the outbreak.

"We were not prepared for this Ebola scourge. It took us by surprise and with our weak health system, we can only rely on support given to us by our international partners," he told IPS.

According to a report published last week by British charity Save the Children, five people are infected every hour here and the situation is worrisome.

But, there are still many challenges to be addressed. According to the medical charity MSF or Doctors Without Borders, the outbreak is far from over and more help is desperately needed.

"There is a huge gap in all aspects of the response, including medical care, training of health staff, infection control, contact tracing, epidemiological surveillance, alert and referral systems, community education and mobilisation," MSF says.

The government has, however, downplayed this, claiming the report is hugely exaggerated and that the situation is getting better in some parts of the country.

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