Highlights
As of 7 January 2015, the cumulative number of laboratory confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases is 7,665. The number of confirmed deaths is 2,612.
On 2 January, Sierra Leone's First Lady, Madam Sia Nyama Koroma, opened the first Ebola Community Care Centre (CCC) in Kono District, one of the country's latest hotspots. UNICEF worked with the community and partners to build the CCC in two weeks. The first of five to open in Kono.
The President of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, announced in his New Year speech that he had instructed the Ministry of Education,
Science and Technology to put “in place modalities to reopen schools and colleges in the shortest possible time.” No date was announced.
UNICEF continues to work closely with the ministry to prepare guidelines on safely reopening schools.The UNICEF-led Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) network have identified 14,185 children as being directly affected by the Ebola crisis (7,137 girls & 7,048 boys), with 7,818 children having lost one or both parents to Ebola and 504 unaccompanied or separated from their caregiver. 14,928 Ebola-affected children and care-givers have been provided with psychosocial support.
UNICEF Sierra Leone requires USD 178 million for its response to the Ebola crisis until end of June 2015. To date, USD 102 million has been received – 57 percent of the total.