HIGHLIGHTS
Late-December caseload figures for Sierra Leone double the combined total of Liberia and Guinea during the same period; however, overall case transmission in Sierra Leone appears to slightly decline
USG partners open three EVD treatment units (ETUs) in Liberia
The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports that prolonged market and trade disruptions have resulted in below-average incomes and purchasing power for poor households in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Between December 31 and January 5, USG partners opened three ETUs in Liberia, one each in Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh, and Nimba counties. Additional ETU capacity enables EVD actors to better and more quickly respond to sudden disease hotspots in rural areas of Liberia. At the same time, USAID/OFDA continues to complement EVD treatment by supporting numerous partners in Liberia to conduct social mobilization, contact tracing, infection prevention and control training (IPC), and other activities that aim to prevent case transmission from occurring in the first place.
The U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) has inducted Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed into the agency as new mission chief. Ahmed will replace outgoing UNMEER Head Tony Banbury.
Community resistance to EVD prevention and response efforts in Guinea remains acute. On multiple occasions in early January, community members have threatened or attacked EVD responders in Coyah, Lola, Forécariah, and Kindia prefectures, according to the National Ebola Coordination Cell.