Ebola Still Haunts the World
Despite decreasing infection rates, Ebola still threatens the world. Sierra Leona finds itself under pressure, yet again, after a woman died from Ebola last Saturday. Approximately 200 people will be vaccinated in order to ensure that Ebola will not spread any further. While those who have come in direct contact with the deceased constitute the foremost priority, many members within the community will also be vaccinated so that total safety is guaranteed.
The woman who died on Saturday was 67 of age, resident of the Kambia district which is very close to the border with Guinea. The woman died at a very difficult moment: only five days after the country had declared that it dealt with the last known Ebola case in the country. Sierra Leone was prepared to enter a 42-day countdown to guarantee that it is Ebola-free. The last case that was reported was almost one month ago, on the 8th of August.
Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesman, declared that the issue is being investigated and that the appropriate measures are going to be taken. She said that those “who came into direct contact” with the woman who had just died will be vaccinated and those who, in turn, came in contact with them will also undergo the same procedures.
In the meantime, WHO declared on Thursday that Liberia is officially free of virus transmission. The organization and the country’s population rejoiced as the task had finally been completed and that they could move on with their lives as usual.
The Xinhua news agency declared that Ebola could not have been eliminated in this country if it were not for great communication and intervention. The government and a number of its partners responded to the issue very quickly and the fact that they always kept a watchful eye on the virus ensured that it would be eliminated quite soon.
Liberia was first declared out of harm’s way on May 9th this year, but things changed on June 29th, when another 6 cases emerged. Again, authorities had to react quickly to contain the virus and make sure that it would not spread out of control again.
The disease continues to cause havoc, having infected a reported number of 28,073 cases during August in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Approximately 11,300 people died because of the disease and while it appears to be contained in some regions, the fight continues until the virus is considered destroyed.
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