Ebola Update: Gov't Tightens Health Security In Sierra Leone After Declared As Virus Hot Spot
New Ebola centers are established this week in Sierra Leone as it is previously announced having the second highest incident of Ebola in West Africa. The program is also part of the execution of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s mandate in containing the spread of the virus.
Reuters has reported that Ebola surveillance officers have been deployed in the Devil Hoe Neighborhood, one of the towns in Freetown. These health officers are conducting health checkups among residents making sure that everybody does not possess any symptom of Ebola.
With them are members of the British task force and other international groups who aim to reduce the case of Ebola in the next four to six weeks.
Reports from BBC said that the recent operations are mainly to control the contamination among crowds as it was observed that people in Freetown are not alarmed and had continued to do usual activities like jogging and gathering in the streets despite the rise of infected people.
This negative response has also been confirmed by reports from Sky News saying that 80% of the population refused to acknowledge the presence Ebola in the community.
Further, operators from the UK-funded 117 Ebola hotline intended to deliver fast rescue services for Ebola victims have reported that they have received prank calls instead.
As one operator said, "They will use abusive language on you, they'll say Ebola is lie, lie, you're just taking money, most of them that is what they say. They don't believe. Most of the people they don't believe in the Ebola stuff."
As of December 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared at least 2,033 Ebola deaths from Sierra Leone with Liberia still as the top hot spot with 3,290 deaths. Guinea, meanwhile, has 1,518 cases and Nigeria with eight cases.
