Ebola still spreading in western Sierra Leone, Guinea’s forest: U.N
By Stephanie Nebehay
Reuters.com
Tue Dec 9, 2014
(Reuters) – More foreign health workers are needed to help tackle the Ebola epidemic, which is spreading quickly in western Sierra Leone and deep in the forested interior of Guinea, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday.
The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 6,331 in the three worst hit countries, with Sierra Leone overtaking Liberia as the country with the highest number of cases, the World Health Organization says.
“We know the outbreak is still flaming strongly in western Sierra Leone and some parts of the interior of Guinea. We can’t rest, we have to still push on,” said David Nabarro, the U.N. Special Envoy on Ebola.
More treatment centers are opening in Sierra Leone but they need additional trained staff, he told a news briefing.
“We don’t yet have the full number of functioning treatment centers and places where people who are ill can be kept away from others,” he said.
“We are anticipating several hundred beds to come on stream in the next few weeks, and that will lead to the situation calming down.”
The deadly virus is spreading especially in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and Port Loko, where a more intense response is needed, said Nabarro, a veteran public health expert.
The Rest…HERE
