Sierra Leone announces new 3-day look-down against Ebola

Sierra Leone government announced Thursday it will impose a three-day lock-down across the capital and in the north with a view to stemming the Ebola epidemic.

Palo Conteh, the chief executive of the National Ebola Response Center (NERC), told the media the new round of lock-down is expected to be observed from March 27 to the March 29 of March, and will be a repeat of the one that was done in September last year.

Conteh hoped that the lock-down will bring out latent cases of the Ebola virus that are not reported.

He explained that the three-day lock-down will be both to re- sensitize on precautions and detect possible lines of transmission of the virus.

Recent hike in cases of the Ebola in the western area and the north have worried health workers in the country.

Residents will be expected to stay at home through out the three day period and all religious places will also be affected, the NERC boss said.

Sierra Leone's President Koroma over the weekend continued his social mobilization exercise in parts of the north during which he called on traditional leaders to intensify their efforts to ensure the rate of the Ebola infection is brought to zero.

The NERC officials are working intensively to bring the infection rate to zero to meet with the April deadline agreed by the Mano River Union Heads of State meeting in Conakry, Guinea.

It will be recalled that the last three-day lock-down proved to be effective in highlighting extent of the disease, said Conteh.

Conteh reminded all that "until the cases are down to zero for 21 days, the country cannot be considered to be on the footing to start the journey towards being declared Ebola free."

According to the World Health Organization, the worst-ever outbreak of the virus has claimed almost 3,700 lives in Sierra Leone, one of the three West African countries that have been hardest hit by Ebola. Endi