Ebola in Sierra Leone increasing to rate of more than 20 deaths per day
Government estimates confirm rise with 49 new cases at start of week across two Ebola zones in capital Freetown
Dajana Suljkanović
The Guardian
Tuesday 21 October 2014
The number of people infected with Ebola in western Sierra Leone is increasing to more than 20 deaths daily, according to government estimates.
Forty-nine new cases of were confirmed on Monday in two Ebola zones in and around the capital Freetown, the National Ebola Response Center reported on Tuesday. There are 851 total confirmed cases in the two zones, called Western Area Urban and Western Area Rural, the centre said. The Ebola outbreak previously primarily affected eastern Sierra Leone.
Claude Kamanda, a lawmaker who represents a western area, told local newspaper Politico that more than 20 deaths are being reported daily, and authorities are struggling to keep up with the collection of corpses from homes in the area.
Authorities say the rise in the number of cases in the west can be attributed to the movement of people from the interior of the country to Waterloo, which is the gateway to Freetown, the capital. In response to the increased number of cases, authorities have quarantined Waterloo, in Western Area Rural, a local newspaper reported.
“The growing fear has left the public with no choice but to call on the government for Waterloo to be quarantined as was done to other places including Kailahun, Kenema, Bombali, Port Loko and Moyamba districts,” the Exclusive newspaper said. The World Food Programme (WFP) delivered emergency food rations to people in the area over the weekend.
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