Sierra Leone launches campaign for "zero Ebola infection"

Sierra Leone on Friday started a three day "seat at home" campaign as part of its final push for "zero Ebola infection".

For the next three day, 6 million Sierra Leoneans will stay at home to listen to the health messages from health personnel through out the country.

The major objective of the campaign, among others is to re- energise the population in the fight against the Ebola virus, informing communities about behaviors that continue to increase transmission rate and isolate sick people as well as making the communities own the drive.

Although the campaign is nation wide, head of the National Ebola Response Center said the emphasis will be on the Western Area, Port Loko, Kambia and Bombali districts that are all in the northern part. They have been recording most of the confirmed new cases for the past three weeks.

About 25,650 personnel would be engaged during these three days to carry the exercise and will be split into a team of three, comprising of a health worker, one social mobilizer together with a member of the community.

These people, according to Pallo Conteh will be moving around every house hold to bring out sick people to treatment centers for those that manifests the Ebola virus, whilst the others will be taken to hospitals.

He told the media that the country had 33 new cases of Ebola last week, "the best weekly figures since last summer", but cautioned against "complacency".

He advised that "until we are all at zero, none of us is at zero". Endi