Highlights
As cases decline, previously imposed laws have been eased. Movements between districts are now permitted to support economic activities. No quarantines or restrictions on movement above the household level will be imposed by Government. To prevent complacent behaviors, initiatives taken by District Ebola Response Centers (DERCs) and local authorities to enhance community surveillance are encouraged. In addition, hazard pay for Ebola Response Workers (ERW’s) and health workers will be removed at the end of March. In the meantime, the National Ebola Response Center (NERC), UNDP, and the MoHS are working intensely to ensure urgent payment of all back pay owed to ERW’s.
Launched by the MoHS with technical support by WHO, MSF, UNICEF and other partners, two successive emergency response campaigns to distribute anti-malarial drugs to people living in areas affected by the EVD outbreak have successfully reached more than 2.5 million people; and significantly reduced the number of people with fever that might be mistaken for EVD.
As of 18 January, 392 U.K. military personnel are deployed in country. A further 290 personnel are based on-board RFA ARGUS (logistic support ship) and continue to deliver a Primary Casualty Receiving Facility for non-EVD cases.
To advance the efforts in emphasizing regional cooperation as part of the second phase of the EVD response, “Getting to Zero”, a high level cross-border technical conference, hosted by Manu River Union and supported by UNMEER, NERC, bilateral and regional partners, was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone on 26-27 January 2015. Participants include Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia and with representation from Ivory Coast. Based on the Monrovia Communiqué of December 2014, series of prioritized objectives were agreed for implementation by national governments and partners.
With the introduction of the Quick Impact Projects (Q.I.Ps) for district level Ebola response, UNMEER Field Crisis Managers have made concrete contributions to the overall response efforts. One of the most notable projects involves providing fuel for a water treatment facility in Kambia that provides water to various treatment and decontamination units.
Other projects approved include: providing communications equipment and activities for the Western Areas Surge (WAS); supporting a cross-border meeting with communities from Guinea and Liberia; facilitating the use of Ebola survivors in social mobilization outreach in Port Loko; and a specific focus on working with women in Tonkolili surveillance activities.The second phase of the WAS II launched by Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) is ongoing. WAS II is placing greater emphasis on increasing community awareness of EVD via social mobilization to support the response efforts. Supported by UNMEER, U.K, WHO, UNICEF, WFP and other partners, WAS II is a core component of the National Ebola Response Center’s (NERC) strategy to meet the national goal of significantly reducing the EVD caseload by late February and reaching zero new confirmed EVD cases by May.