Sierra Leone records zero new Ebola infections - aug 17, 2015

[Gert van der Hoek]

Sierra Leone records zero new Ebola infections

By BBC | Tuesday, August 18 2015


For the first time since the Ebola outbreak was declared in Sierra Leone, the country has recorded zero new infections.
There were no new Ebola cases reported last week according to the WHO.
At the height of the outbreak Sierra Leone was reporting more than 500 new cases a week. Last week, for the first time since May last year, there were zero new cases.

But authorities are warning against complacency.

OB Sisay, Director of the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC), said: "This does not mean Sierra Leone is suddenly Ebola free.
"As long as we have one Ebola case we still have an epidemic. People should continue to take the public health measures... around hand-washing, temperature checks, enhanced screening."

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[Gert van der Hoek]

Sierra Leone down to the last chain of Ebola virus transmission

News release

17 AUGUST 2015 | FREETOWN - Use of rapid response teams and strong community involvement in finding Ebola virus disease cases and contacts is yielding results in Sierra Leone. An epidemiological week has now passed with no new Ebola cases for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak.

"This is very good news but we have to keep doing this intensive working with communities to identify potential new cases early and to rapidly stop any Ebola virus transmission," said Dr Anders Nordstrom, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

The Ebola response in Sierra Leone moved to phase 3

The Ebola response has moved to "phase 3"’, focusing on tracking each and every chain of Ebola virus transmission and closing down the remaining chains as quickly as possible. Sierra Leone is now down to a single chain of transmission, which started in Freetown but sparked a cluster of cases in Tonkolili, in the northern region of the country.

Effectively tracking chains of transmission means finding every person who has been in contact with someone proven to be infected with Ebola, monitoring them closely for symptoms for 21 days and rapidly moving them to a treatment centre if they develop symptoms of potential Ebola.

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[Gert van der Hoek]

Sierra Leone releases its last known Ebola patient

MATENEH, Sierra Leone (AP) — Health authorities in Sierra Leone released the country's last known Ebola patient from a hospital on Monday, a milestone that allows the nation to begin a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the virus that has killed nearly 4,000 people here.

President Ernest Bai Koroma presented a certificate of discharge to Adama Sankoh, 40, who contracted Ebola after her son died from the disease late last month.

"The Ebola fight is not yet over — go and tell members of your community that," the president said when presenting the certificate to the woman.
"Go back to your community and continue to live life as you used to. "


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[Pathfinder]

Sierra Leone celebrates milestone on road to ending Ebola

August 2015

Sierra Leone celebrated an important milestone on Monday, 24 August 2015. For the first time in more than a year, there are no people being treated for Ebola virus disease and no confirmed cases of Ebola in the country.


Adama Sankoh, an Ebola survivor, was released from the Makeni Ebola treatment unit on 24 August 2015, Sierra Leone.
WHO/M. Harris

Surrounded by singing, dancing and clapping health-care workers, Adama Sankoh, palm oil trader, was released from the Makeni Ebola treatment unit. In the ceremony held to mark the final Ebola case, the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, described Madame Sankoh's release as "the beginning of the end of Ebola."

“Ebola nor don yaet” (Ebola is not yet finished) the President told Madame Sankoh as he handed her a certificate confirming that she was now negative for Ebola virus. He asked Madame Sankoh to remind her friends and family to call the Ebola hotline immediately if anyone in their community develops symptoms of Ebola or dies at home.

Madame Sankoh told the gathering of health-care workers, Ebola survivors, leaders of national and district Ebola response teams and representatives of the agencies working to fight Ebola that she had learned about the disease the hard way. Now, she said, she knows that safe burial and thorough handwashing is essential for protecting against Ebola virus disease.

While the mood was celebratory, President Koroma reminded the gathering that Ebola transmission would not be considered ended in Sierra Leone "until the WHO declares we have gone 42 days with no case." The 42-day period begins on Tuesday, 25 August.

Even then, said President Koroma, Ebola could not be considered over until every country in the 'sub-region' made up of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone had gone 42 days with no case after the last confirmed case had been discharged from treatment or, if they had died, safely buried.

Dr Anders Nordstr?m, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone said "This is an important milestone for Sierra Leone. But the hard work that got Sierra Leone to this point has to continue."

"Surveillance, searching for cases, notifying any deaths in the community, testing anyone with Ebola symptoms, all must continue intensively. And the community involvement that has led us to this point must continue as well."

http://www.who.int/features/2015/ebo...erra-leone/en/