The Regional Health Team for Central River Region recently conducted one-day sensitization of stakeholders and Regional Rapid Response Team on the update of Ebola at a meeting held at the Governor’s Bantaba in Janjanbureh Town CRR South.
Speaking at the ceremony, the deputy governor of CRR, Alhagie Malang Saibo Camara, hailed the health team for the initiative, adding that even though there is no Ebola disease in the country the health team is putting measures in place to ensure each and every one is updated on the status of Ebola within the sub-region.
Jankoba Jabbi, director of RHT, gave the rationale behind the meeting, saying the purpose of the meeting is to update stakeholders on the status of Ebola in the sub-region.
According to him, Ebola is a global public health problem and its prevention needs concerted efforts at all levels to prevent the disease from entering the country.
He added that part of the region’s preparedness in response to Ebola disease, several activities were conducted in the region which included orientation of the local government authorities such as governor, chiefs, alkalolou, radio programme, hygiene promotion, technical advisory committee, cluster monitors, Red Cross volunteers, distribution of fact sheets and other IEC materials on Ebola among others.
He said there are nine public health facilities within the region and each of the facility has a rapid response team in place and the main entry point in CRR region is Brikamaba.
However, a lot of efforts have been put in place including the surveillance at border level, update of the register stationed at the immigration.
Mr Jabbi stated that a similar surveillance activities are being conducted in neighbouring southern province of Senegal and the good thing that worth emulate is the presence of a hot telephone line that provides community members the opportunity to ask questions and report any suspected case spotted out but it must be linked to a history of travelling from the affected country zone.
Eba Secka, Regional Principal Nursing Officer in CRR, said the epidemiology and surveillance-between 14 and 16 August a total of 113 new cases of Ebola virus disease-laboratory confirmed, probable and suspect cases as well as 84 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The response of the WHO and other partners to the Ebola virus is continuing to grow in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, to reduce the likelihood that those who are infected will carry the disease outside their communities, the governments have set up quarantined zones in areas of high transmission including severely-affected cities such as Gueckedou in Guinea, Kenema and Kailahun in Sierra Leone and Foya in Liberia.
