News

By Mustapha Kamara

A local non-governmental organisation in Sierra Leone has expressed concern over the rising numbers of children in quarantined homes, saying “very little attention is being given to them”.

Abdulai Swaray, executive director for Pekin to Pekin, Friday told journalists in Freetown that they had officially pleaded with the government to pay more attention to those children in quarantined homes across the country.

Mary Hawa John-Sao

The Vice President of the National Farmers' Federation says 75% of those killed by Ebola in Sierra Leone are farmers in especially Kailahun and Kenema districts, the two hardest-hit areas.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono.

In Kono, Paramount Chiefs, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Koidu Council and civil society organisations have blasted their Members of Parliament over the Le 63 million given to each of them by the state to enable them respond to the Ebola outbreak.

During the District Ebola Task Force Meeting in Koidu on Monday, they accused the MPs of "failing" their constituents in the fight against the disease.

By Mohamed Massaquoi

An ambulance belonging to the SOCFIN agricultural company has been intercepted at an Ebola check point at Bendu Junction in the Malen chiefdom in Pujehun transporting a dead body from Bo district.

This was confirmed by the district security coordinator, the Office of National Security, district police officer, the military, civil society, the district council chairman and other stakeholders in Pujehun.

By Mustapha Kamara

Moyamba’s district medical officer has expressed concern over the low number of patients turning up at different Peripheral Health Units and other hospitals in the district due to the fear of the Ebola disease.

Giving an update on the disease in the district, Dr. Dennis Mark said the district had registered nine confirmed cases of Ebola as at last week, with five deaths.

By Mustapha Kamara and Jenneh Braima 

One of Sierra Leone’s leading auditing firms, KPMG, has made a Le 50 million donation towards the sensitisation of disabled people on the deadly Ebola virus in 30 communities across the country.

The donation was made possible through Heal Sierra Leone, a local nongovernmental organisation.

The firm’s managing partner, Vidal Decker explained that the funds would be used to undertake the campaign and to purchase some plastic buckets, Dettol, chlorine and other disinfectants.

By Allieu Tunkara and Mustapha Kamara

A sit-down strike by health workers at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown yesterday caused a halt in health service delivery after the caregivers claimed government had failed to provide incentives and protective gear for them.