UN officials weigh Ebola border challenges; SL cases top 10,000
Lisa Schnirring
CIDRAP News
Jan 08, 2015
Top United Nations (UN) officials visited Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount County yesterday, an area neighboring the Sierra Leone border that experienced a recent spike in Ebola activity, to meet with local leaders and explore what more can be done curb the disease at national borders.
In the outbreak region, the Ebola total today grew to 20,972 cases, while the number of deaths rose to 8,259, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The total reflects an illness increase of 225 and 24 more fatalities than the WHO reported yesterday.
Cases have now surpassed 10,000 in Sierra Leone, the hardest hit of the three main outbreak countries. However, Liberia still has the most deaths.
High-level visit to Liberian hot spot
The UN group included Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who recently took over as head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) and is touring all three of the hardest hit countries. According to today’s UNMEER update, the UN group invited traditional and religious leaders in the Liberian county, along with area health officials, to a series of meetings.
Cases have declined dramatically in Liberia, but health officials are watching some hot spots and have warned that a let-up in the response could reverse the country’s progress in fighting the virus.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said national ownership is a key to winning the Ebola battle and international partners need to respect local customs when launching response activities, especially safe, dignified burials. During the meetings, the UN learned that key challenges in the county include gaps in monitoring cross-border traffic, ongoing traditional practices, secret burials, pockets of community resistance, and motivation lapses among response teams.
The group visited a new Ebola treatment in the Grand Cape Mount city of Sinje before traveling on to Sierra Leone, UNMEER said.
MSF opens new Sierra Leone treatment unit
The Rest…HERE
