New Ebola case emerges in Sierra Leone

“After WHO declared West Africa free from Ebola, our hearts are so saddened because it has come back, as if it is going to jeopardize the business in the country”, businessman Moses Abata told DW.

Public health officials in the region thought they had reason to breathe a sigh of relief, after the WHO pronounced Liberia to be free of Ebola cases.

The government of Sierra Leone announced on Saturday, Jan. 16 that more than 100 people are placed on quarantine following a new Ebola death in the country.

“While this is an important milestone and a very important step forward, we have to say that the job is still not done”, said Rick Brennan, WHO director of emergency risk assessment and humanitarian response, at a news conference in Geneva on Thursday. The disease impacted economies and health systems of three nations that were worst affected, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. “Temperature screening and other border health measures will still remain for passengers arriving from the Middle East for the early detection of (another infectious disease) the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)”.

The general public is informed of a high risk contact to the Tonkolili Ebola index case, who is believed to have travelled to the Western Area Urban by boat from Kambia district on Saturday, 16 January 2016.

The country’s chief medical officer, Dr. Brima Kargbo, said that when the woman arrived at Magburaka Government Hospital she showed “no signs or symptoms that fit the case definition of Ebola”.

World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: “This really reflects what we have been saying yesterday… that there is a risk, and this outbreak is in a critical phase right now where we are moving from case management to management of risk”.

Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free on 7th November and Guinea on 29 December, 2015.

“We are demonstrating because we want the authorities to explain to us why the woman was discharged and allowed to go home, where she died, and her corpse was given to her family to bury”. Interestingly, the news of the new case in Sierra Leone surfaced the following day. “We should stay there and be ready to respond to these possible cases”.

He said Ebola was hard to distinguish from many other diseases that cause pain, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. Of particular concern is the fact it is now known that Ebola is present in the semen of some male survivors up to a year later. “Unfortunately this mistake is a big one”. Studies continue to uncover new information about how long Ebola can last in bodily fluids.