HIGHLIGHTS
The week to 23 August 2015 saw the second successive epidemiological week without a confirmed Ebola case.
On 24 August 2015, the country’s last current Ebola patient was released as a survivor from the International Medical Corps (IMC)
Mateneh Ebola Treatment Centre. Back home in the formerly quarantined Massesebe village, Tonkolili district, she received a survivors’ re-integration kit from UNICEF to help with her return. The discharge starts the 42 day countdown for the country to being declared free from Ebola transmission.The micro-surge in Western Area was extended by another five days with a focus on intensive community engagement. As part of the surge, 30 community meetings were held engaging 297 community leaders and 28,822 individuals through community dialogues and conversations. Over 8,447 households were reached through houseto-house visits in those wards during the week.
In Port Loko district, UNICEF-led social mobilization teams from Restless Development, OXFAM and the Red Cross reached 37,437 people, 768 traditional healers and 2,968 community leaders in 2,350 communities.
In Kambia, the UNICEF child protection team participated in the monitoring of cross border activities. The assessment of official and non-official crossing points continues, especially around the Bramaia,
Gbinle Dixing and Samu chiefdoms.UNICEF, through the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) and PACT, continues to provide water to all the 508 formerly quarantined people in Massesebe village, as well as Masanga hospital in Tonkolili district. Around 11,000 litres of water are delivered every day and 1,730 litres of packaged drinking water has been provided to the households through UNICEF direct procurement.
UNICEF and its implementing partners, working with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), continued to visit schools to monitor readiness in compliance with the Ebola safety protocols. As of 25 August 2015, 5,800 (63.7 per cent) schools had been visited. Schools reopen for the new semester on 31 August 2015.