KEY POINTS
• SRSG UNMEER in Guinea to observe latest progress and challenges.
• Sierra Leone focuses efforts on reducing community resistance in Samu Chiefdom, Kambia.
• Guinea’s campaign of sensitisation and early detection has reached 92% of targeted persons in Forécariah. Lessons are being learned from Forécariah in order to inform roll out to other areas.
Key Political and Economic Developments
1 . NSTR
Response Efforts and Health
2 . In total, 26,074 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD have been reported in the three most affected countries. There have been 10,820 reported deaths. The decline in rate of confirmed cases of EVD has halted over the last three weeks - in the week to 19 April, a total of 33 confirmed cases was reported, compared with 37 and 30 in the preceding weeks.
3 . Over the period 20-22 April there have been nine confirmed cases in Guinea of which there was one case in each of Boffa, Dubreka, and Kindia, two cases in Fria and four cases in Forécariah. Over the same period there were nine cases in Sierra Leone of which six were in Kambia, two were in Western Rural and one was in Western Urban (Freetown). Liberia had no new cases - in the five days to 19 April, 212 new laboratory samples were tested for EVD, with no confirmed cases. Forty-two days will have elapsed since burial of the last confirmed case in Liberia on 9 May.
4 . SRSG UNMEER, Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has met with representatives of Government, UN and international community to understand the latest progress and challenges in Guinea. During his meetings, SRSG emphasised ongoing challenges of unsafe burials, the need for strengthened engagement of Muslim religious leaders, the importance of strict enforcement of EVD protocols, and the importance of strong regional cooperation. In his meeting with ambassadors and UN representatives concerns were raised about the impact of growing political tensions on the EVD response. In follow up to this, the international participants met with representatives of the extraparliamentary and parliamentary oppositions.
5 . 11 people in Guinea have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a team educating locals about the risks of EVD in Womey, Nzérékoré prefecture. The attack was carried out in September 2014 and reportedly killed eight persons, including two doctors and three journalists.
6 . Following last weekend’s attacks on EVD response teams in Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District, Sierra Leone, WHO is working with the District Ebola Response Centre (DERC) to remove cases and high risk contacts from communities in the Chiefdom. The CEO of the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) will be identifying influential political leaders who will engage Samu chiefdom community.