Friday 1 August 2014

Sierra Leone declares Ebola public health emergency

Sierra Leone's president has declared a public health emergency to
curb the deadly Ebola outbreak,BBC reports.

Ernest Bai Koroma said the epicentres of the outbreak in the east
would be quarantined and asked the security forces to enforce the
measures.

The UN says 729 people in West Africa have died of Ebola since
February -- 233 of them in Sierra Leone.

This includes Dr. Sheik Umar Khan who led Sierra Leone's fight against
the virus. His funeral is on Thursday.

Ebola is spread through human contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from
areas like eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to
organ failure.

As part of the new measures to contain the viral haemorrhagic fever,
travellers at airports will have to wash their hands with disinfectant
and have their temperatures checked, President Koroma said in a
statement.

All deaths must also be reported to the authorities before burial, he said.

His measures -- to remain in place for between 60 and 90 days -- follow
tough anti-Ebola policies introduced this week in neighbouring
Liberia, where schools have been closed and some communities are to be
quarantined.

Both President Koroma and his Liberian counterpart Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf have cancelled visits to Washington for the US-Africa summit
next week because of the crisis.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is to begin screening all passengers arriving from
West Africa and Kenya has stepped up surveillance at all ports of
entry.

In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said ground and on-board staff
would have also been sensitised on how to handle suspected cases of
the virus.

However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on
Thursday that it was not recommending any travel restrictions or
border closures after consulting the World Health Organisation,
according to Reuters.

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