Summary: It is now three months since the announcement by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation of the first Ebola virus disease (EVD) case detected in the country. In an attempt to fight the spread of the disease, the Government established a national task force to coordinate activities to prevent spread of the disease and prepare for the detection of cases.
In response the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) provided emergency funding to the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS), which enabled mobilisation and training of volunteers in preparation of the response operation. Following the increase in the number of cases, the IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal on 26 June 2014 for CHF 880,000.The Appeal has since been revised with an increased appeal budget of CHF1, 366,156 seeking to reach the entire population of Sierra Leone.
This operations update provides progress on the activities implemented against the revised emergency plan of action (EPOA) for the main operational areas including surveillance case identification and contact management, case management (including dead body management), psychosocial support services (PSS), regional preparedness and response and organisational risk.
Reports from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation reveal that the current cumulative number of laboratory confirmed cases is 435 cases, 146 death cases and a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) on confirmed cases of 33.6 per cent.
The operation is only 19 percent funded to date. Cash contributions have been gratefully received from Icelandic Red Cross Society, Norwegian Red Cross Society, Canadian Red Cross Society and Canadian Government, Netherlands Red Cross/Government/Silent Emergency Fund. Bilateral support towards the Appeal has been received from British Red Cross. More donors support for the appeal is encouraged.