By Mustapha Kamara Jnr
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Ebola Response Center (NERC), Rtd Major Paulo Conteh, has accused Paramount chiefs and other community leaders of complacency on the fight against the Ebola epidemic.
The NERC boss singled out Paramount chiefs of Port Loko Districts, which has within the last few weeks seen a steady resurgence of the virus with the highest daily new cases. In all, Port Loko has recorded 1340 confirmed cases, making it the district with the second highest cases in the country, after West Area Urban with 2047 confirmed cases.
“Our latest figures suggest that in the week of 26 January, there were 80 new confirmed cases, a rise from 65 cases the week before,” Conteh said Wednesday at the NERC`s weekly press briefing.
“Where there are spikes in the new Ebola cases there is an evidence that the virus is being allowed to spread again,” he added.
The NERC boss said Port Loko has been one of the difficult districts to contain the Ebola Virus disease. He said in a bid to find out the reason for this, they sent a team of experts to the district to investigate and that based on the report, NERC would decide accordingly whether to restrict movement and isolate specific areas like Lokomasama Chiefdom and other villages in the district.
As the country has been recording low confirmed Ebola cases, the country`s anti-Ebola front man said, this is the most critical moment to end the fight against the disease.
And to attain this, he said, “Quality contact tracing, enhanced social mobilization and effective community surveillance remain our focus and the ultimate drivers to get us to zero [case].”
The NERC will also continue the Western Area Operation Surge so as to ensure the control, spread and eradication of the virus in Freetown, he said.
© Politico 05/02/15
