Highlights:
In the week to 17 May 2015, there were six confirmed Ebola cases, a considerable increase comparing to the previous week. Five out of the six new cases came from known contacts. Only one case come from an unknown source (Western Urban).
UNICEF is providing technical and financial support to staff from 173 Community Health Centers (CHC) in 12 districts on Integrated Maternal and Newborn Care Initiative (IMNCI) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to assess the gaps and equip them with the knowledge and skills to appropriately manage childhood illnesses and maintaining good infection control measures.
The Village Development Committees (VDC) have been reactivated and 190 VDCs meetings were conducted covering the issues on Back-to-School, the by-laws related to outsiders and travelers coming from hotspot areas and the importance of calling 117 or a district hotlines. All the meetings were chaired by the section chiefs.
In view of the transition and early recovery phase, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and partners have conducted a two-day strategic planning workshop. Three broad priority areas have been identified: maintaining zero cases in schools, getting all children back to schools, and accelerating learning and ensuring quality. UNICEF participated in five of the sub-committees at the workshop and provided technical input into the prioritization and costing of activities.
UNICEF Sierra Leone requires USD 178 million for its response to the Ebola crisis until end of June 2015. To date, USD 118.9 million has been received – 67 percent of the total*.
