Starting this Friday, Sierra Leone will implement another three-day lockdown across the country in efforts to curtail further spread of the Ebola virus and finally bring the cases down to zero.
While some gaps remain, there is now a sense of optimism that the country “will eventually get there,” MSF’s new Regional Communications Coordinator for West Africa Yann Libessart told Devex.
However, with the battle still being fought hard in Guinea — only about half of deaths due to Ebola on the second week of March were identified prior, and unsafe burials continue to be reported in the country — nothing is for sure. In Liberia, hopes of finally being Ebola-free were dashed when a woman tested positive Friday in Monrovia, 15 days after the last known case was discharged March 5 and halfway through the World Health Organization’s 42-day requirement of no new cases before a country can be declared free of the virus.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
