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Topic: WHO officially declares Sierra Leone Ebola-free - page 2. (Read 1175 times)

legendary
Activity: 1246
Merit: 1000
Even if Sierra Leone and Liberia have been declared Ebola free, Guinea has been not. The virus does not know national boundaries.
Until the whole region is declared Ebola-free, there can easily be another outbreak.
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1217
42 days is not enough.
We know that the ebola virus can be found in the semen of survivors for 6 months post recovery.
So everybody has to watch out.  Smiley

The Ebola virus has been found in the semen of survivors more than a year after their recovery, although the chances decline after around 3 months. In Liberia, there was a case recently when a women got infected of Ebola, after she had sex with a survivor of the disease. And remember the fact that safe sex is not very popular in Africa.
legendary
Activity: 1246
Merit: 1000
42 days is not enough.
We know that the ebola virus can be found in the semen of survivors for 6 months post recovery.
So everybody has to watch out.  Smiley
sr. member
Activity: 336
Merit: 251
I don't care what the WHO says. I am not going to visit that country ever again in my life. Now things will be difficult in Sierra Leone. A large number of doctors and nurses are dead, and there is no way that the government is able to fill those vacancies. Even earlier, there was an extreme shortage of physicians in Sierra Leone. Now it is going to be worse.

Tend to agree, 42 days with no new cases is not enough in my opinion. Will tend to agree with them if we get to around 30 or 90 days or just to be safe make it a year. But then again, with my luck I'll arrive there right at the start of a new outbreak.

Quote
He called on the community to halt the stigmatisation of survivors and said the focus was now on improved hygiene, healthcare and economic recovery

This is the most important part. If they do not get their ducks in a row in regards to basic hygiene and health care then this is bound to happen again.
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1217
I don't care what the WHO says. I am not going to visit that country ever again in my life. Now things will be difficult in Sierra Leone. A large number of doctors and nurses are dead, and there is no way that the government is able to fill those vacancies. Even earlier, there was an extreme shortage of physicians in Sierra Leone. Now it is going to be worse.
hero member
Activity: 560
Merit: 500
42 days have passed with no new cases reported in the West Africa country where nearly 4,000 people died of the virus

Sierra Leone has been declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organisation, prompting nationwide celebrations tinged with sadness over the 4,000 lives the virus claimed. Freetown was transformed into a giant carnival on Friday night as ecstatic crowds took to the streets of the capital in an outpouring of emotion.


Relief that the 17-month outbreak was all but over was reflected in candlelit prayers and spontaneous parties.

In a moving ceremony in Freetown on Saturday morning, the WHO’s country director, Anders Nordström, confirmed that 42 days had passed without any new cases, thereby satisfying criteria that the virus was no longer being transmitted. A speech by Yusuf Kamara, a healthcare worker who lost 16 members of his family and survived the disease himself, brought tears and a standing ovation. “For us, Ebola is not over. We need your help to treat the many, many health problems we still suffer from. And remember those who died at the hands of Ebola, and especially the children who have been affected by this outbreak,” he said

Sierra Leone’s president, Ernest Bai Koroma, has ended the state of emergency declared during the outbreak, but the country will now enter a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to make sure the virus does not return. The National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) will continue to operate until the end of the year, and the swabbing of all dead bodies for Ebola will be mandatory until June 2016.

Koroma said he was “humbled by the dedication” of 35,000 Ebola response workers “whose heroism is without parallel in the history of our country”. He praised their bravery and said the country mourned their sacrifice, adding: “The disease challenged the very foundations of our humanity.” He called on the community to halt the stigmatisation of survivors and said the focus was now on improved hygiene, healthcare and economic recovery

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/07/world-health-organisation-sierra-leone-ebola-free
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