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Ebola fight in Sierra Leone: Highest alert level reached!
Sierra Leone better protects medical staff from Ebola with vaccines. Health Minister Demby emphasizes safety.
Ebola fight in Sierra Leone: Highest alert level reached!
A comprehensive Ebola vaccination program is underway in Sierra Leone to protect healthcare workers. Health Minister Austin Demby announced that the country would be the first in the world to implement this measure to better secure the “medical front”. This move is particularly significant as Sierra Leone was one of the hardest-hit nations during the Ebola epidemic a decade ago, which claimed nearly 4,000 lives in the country. Seven percent of health workers lost their lives in this epidemic. Vaccines provided by the Gavi vaccination alliance are intended not only for doctors, but also for ambulance drivers, traditional healers and pastors, who are often the first to come into contact with sick people. That's what she reports Small newspaper.
Increasing treatment capacity
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has already treated 70 patients with Ebola symptoms at a new treatment center in Kailahun and expects the numbers to rise as targeted searches for infected people have begun. Operations manager Anja Wolz explained that the current situation is alarming and that the health authorities are under severe time pressure to identify contact persons. Currently, 40 suspected cases have been reported in one small village alone. Health authorities must now pay particular attention to infection control and training for medical staff in order to get the number of patients under control, as well as the Doctors Without Borders website reported.
The treatment center in Kailahun is the largest Ebola isolation center MSF has ever set up, with space for 65 beds. In order to reduce the risk of infection in local hospitals, increased treatment of symptoms is also being sought in the neighboring towns of Koindu and Daru. The organization has recognized the need to not only treat patients, but also educate the population about Ebola and its risks in order to prevent stigmatization and improve the survival of those affected.