News

By Chrispina Cummings

Parliament has complained over the way the media has been reporting on the Ebola outbreak in the country. The complaint came as the House summoned SLAJ and the media regulator - IMC - to a meeting on Tuesday.

Deputy Speaker, Chernor Bah warned journalists to refrain from propagating “hate messages” saying “it is very difficult to marry issues of human rights and that of state of emergency”.

At a recent press conference President Ernest Bai Koroma was heavy in criticising the international community for their slow response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. With the Chinese sending in medicine, equipment and personnel, Cuba sending 160 health workers and Britain planning to deploy military medical team to set up treatment centres and personnel to run them, has the president had a change of tone against the world community? A question Umaru Fofana put to him.

By Mustapha Kamara

As a way of putting resources together for the containment of Ebola in Sierra Leone, Action Aid has utilised Le 350 million for the purchase and donation of food items, cleaning equipment, stationery, fuel and protective gear for Ebola affected persons across the country.

Action Aid’s executive director, Mohamed Sillah, said the donations, which started early this week, had already been done in Kambia, Bombali, Tonkolili, Bo, Moyamba and the Western Area.

By Mustapha Kamara

Chairman and leader of the newly registered Democratic Alliance Party (DAP), has condemned the government’s plan for a 3-day lockdown saying “it will not make much impact in the fight against the Ebola Hemorrhagic fever in the country”.

Speaking to Politico yesterday, immediately after donating over 20 bags of rice to people in three communities in Freetown, Mohamed Kamaraimba said that though the initiative was in place, it would not be enough to stop the spread of the disease.

By Jenneh Braima

Minister of Finance and Economic Development has expressed worry over the economic loss Sierra Leone is currently experiencing as it grapples with Ebola.

Dr Kaifala Marah told journalists Tuesday that the impact of the outbreak on the country was huge as it “is losing money day by day”.

He said the mining, agriculture, tourism and transport sectors had made the economy thrive strongly in 2012 and 2013, which he said was in sharp contrast to what obtained now.

Medecins Sans Frontieres has rejected US$ 2.5 million pledge made by the Australian government to help fight Ebola, saying more personnel and equipment are what were urgently needed instead.

MSF Australia says the money offered yesterday would be better spent providing the same sort of logistical help as provided by military assistance in major disasters.

By Mustapha Kamara  

Member of Parliament for Constituency 95 has revealed that the Councillor of Ward 342 in Waterloo has been quarantined as a result of the deaths of about 13 people in his vicinity, some of whom, it has been confirmed, died of Ebola.

In an interview with Politico, Claude Kamanda, MP, said he instructed the Ebola emergency response unit to quarantine houses at Cole Street at Lumpa when he started receiving reports of cases of death from the area.