WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
On 22-24 of January IOM Sierra Leone was proud to welcome Mr Mohammed Abdiker, Director for IOM’s Department of Operations and Emergencies and Ms Carmela Godeau, Regional Director for West and Central Africa on the Freetown segment of a weeklong operational assessment mission across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
IOM's implementing partner, Oxfam, started kit distribution on 18 January 2015 in two hotspots in the Western Area, John Thorpe and Kontolloh. Kit distribution was initiated in Rokel, Western Area, on 24 January. Mobile warehouses were placed in each community and overseen by Peripheral Health Unit (PHU) staff. Community Health Committees (CHCs), comprised of respected members of the community and selected by the communities themselves, are conducting active case finding.
The National Training Academy held one 3+2 day Clinical Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) simulated patient training course for 58 African Union health professionals from Kenya . This week one 4 person mobile training team will be deployed to Bo District to train 10 burial workers on the collection of swabs from corpses and a second 4 person team to Kambia District to train 18 ambulance drivers on the transportation of suspected cases. This training will later be used to hold a Training of Trainers in Freetown at Siaka Stevens Stadium.
IOM’s Health and Humanitarian Border Management team in collaboration with US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, has started focusing priority efforts on reinforcing areas of improvement identified during the 12 January Emergency Simulation Exercise including enhancing the secondary screening system. IOM has been invited to participate in a Border Management strategic conference, hosted by the Mano River Union, on 26-27 January in Freetown.