By Kemo Cham
Ahead of the highly anticipated event marking the official end of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, the head of the National Ebola Response Center (NERC) said it has ordered the military to tightened security at the border with neighboring Guinea.
Major (rtd) Alfred Palo Conteh, Chief Executive Officer of the NERC, said the Eleventh Infantry Battalion in Kambia District which shares a very busy border crossing point with Guinea, had been instructed to ensure that anyone entering from Guinea be subjected to through screening.
“…even though we have had no evidence of cross infection from Guinea since Sierra Leone`s first index case, there is still need for us to remain vigilant together with our Guinean counterparts and keep a close eye on the situation there,” he told journalists at his weekly press briefing on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, October 28, Sierra Leone marked six weeks (42 days) since it last had a new case of the Ebola virus disease. According to the World Health Organisation recommendation, country`s must go under surveillance for 42 days since the last case of the epidemic was discharged from a treatment center, before being declared free of the disease.
For Sierra Leone, this counting therefore started on September 25 when the last known case was discharged in Kambia.
The WHO has announced November 7 as the day to coincide with the 42nd day.
A major ceremony is expected to be conducted marking the day, but NERC said it will inform the public about the details when that is finalized.
For now, the concern is on Guinea.
All District Ebola Response Centers (DERCs) have been ordered to increase cross border collaboration with their Guinean counterparts, the NERC boss said.
The Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in March 2014 and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Since then over 11, 000 people have died of the viral disease, with over 27,000 recorded cases.
Liberia was declared free of the epidemic twice; first on June 29, and then September 3.
Liberian authorities are yet to identify the source of the last cluster.
The three Mano River Union countries share an extensive border which is largely porous and difficult to control.
But presently the major concern for the Sierra Leone government is the main border crossing with Guinea in the Kambia district, bordering Forekaria on the Guinean side.
According to officials, the latest cases in Guinea were all recorded in Forekaria.
(C) Politico Online 29/10/15
