News

By Mustapha Kamara

Moyamba’s district medical officer has expressed concern over the low number of patients turning up at different Peripheral Health Units and other hospitals in the district due to the fear of the Ebola disease.

Giving an update on the disease in the district, Dr. Dennis Mark said the district had registered nine confirmed cases of Ebola as at last week, with five deaths.

By Mustapha Kamara and Jenneh Braima 

One of Sierra Leone’s leading auditing firms, KPMG, has made a Le 50 million donation towards the sensitisation of disabled people on the deadly Ebola virus in 30 communities across the country.

The donation was made possible through Heal Sierra Leone, a local nongovernmental organisation.

The firm’s managing partner, Vidal Decker explained that the funds would be used to undertake the campaign and to purchase some plastic buckets, Dettol, chlorine and other disinfectants.

By Allieu Tunkara and Mustapha Kamara

A sit-down strike by health workers at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown yesterday caused a halt in health service delivery after the caregivers claimed government had failed to provide incentives and protective gear for them.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

The authorities in Kono have declared an indefinite night time curfew in a bid to stem the spread of Ebola.

The edict which was announced by Paramount Chief Paul Saquee at a District Task Force meeting last night, starts today and will last from 10:00 PM - 07:00 AM.

No vehicles will be allowed into the district after 8PM.

Over 110 civil society organisations across West Africa have called on ECOWAS to appoint a Special Envoy on Ebola in the light of the current epidemic in the sub region.

The organisations include the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL), Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities CCYA) ActionAid Sierra Leone and Democracy Salone.

By Crispina Cummings

Don Bosco Fambul, a child protection organisation in Freetown, has promised to embark on an extended service to provide legal support to young prisoners in the country.

Its director, Brother Lothar Wagner, told journalists on Friday that they would join efforts with Caritas to seek justice for young prisoners. He said the move was significant “because it would help provide legal aid to under-aged and marginalised youngsters at the Pademba Road central prison”.

By Crispina Cummings

Member of Parliament for Constituency 94 has donated Personal Protective Equipment, PPEs, to health centres in Waterloo and Tombo to help in the fight against Ebola.

Kemohkoh Conteh made the donations at his “Kick Ebola out of Constituency 94 and Sierra Leone” campaign last week. The package included 5 cartons of PPEs, 130 plastic buckets, six megaphones and three infrared thermometers for each of the health facilities.