Summary:
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) and Appeal was launched in April 2014 for six months with a budget of CHF 517,766.
It was revised three times; firstly in June to a budget of CHF 1.9 million for a period of nine months; then in September further extending the timeframe to 15 months until June 2015 with a budget of CHF 8.5 million. The third revision of the Appeal increased the scope and cost of the operation to CHF 24.5 million maintaining the same timeframe. The fourth revision in June 2015 extended the timeframe of the appeal up to the end of 2017 with a revised budget of CHF 46.3 million.
The latest revised appeal indicates a change in strategy, with the Liberia EVD operation transitioning from emergency response to recovery.
The recovery plan is aimed at assisting individuals, families and communities affected by the epidemic to restore their socio-economic status and wellbeing.
During the reporting period, EVD response activities carried out by LNRCS with the support of IFRC and other Movement partners complemented those of the multi-sector response mechanism. The LNRCS has been operating in all 15 counties, providing integrated EVD activities including:
Community engagement (beneficiary communication and social mobilisation)
Case management (distribution and training in the use of community-based protection kits - Active case surveillance/contact tracing - Safe and dignified burials/cremations and disinfection of houses (SDB).
Provision of psychosocial support to affected people and communities - Support to strengthening of LNRCS national headquarters and chapters - Provision of support to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Ministry of Education as requested.
The LNRCS operation intensified activities related to social mobilization and awareness, psychosocial support (PSS) to survivors, affected families, and communities. The LNRCS also decided that all existing projects would integrate EVD awareness activities as a cross cutting intervention.
The joint intensive response efforts of the government and other stakeholders, including the LNRCS, contributed to the successful containment of the outbreak. Liberia had been declared Ebola-free by the government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday 9 May 2015 and there was cautious optimism that having completed more than 100 days without any new confirmed cases, Liberia was well placed to begin the process of recovery. However, seven weeks after being declared Ebola-free on the 9 of May 2015, Liberia reported the first confirmed case after an EVD related death in Margibi County on 29 June, five related contacts subsequently tested positive for EVD. LNRCS and other stakeholders initiated response activities and are advocating for continued vigilance regarding preventive measures and strengthening of surveillance, particularly along areas bordering Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The systemic weaknesses of the health system that existed prior to the EVD outbreak must be addressed during the recovery phase, but care should be taken to avoid the development of parallel and unsustainable services.
Recovery programming will focus on enhancing capacity and building resilience to minimise the risk and impact of future epidemics and other disasters. Recovery priorities must also be institutionalized in schools and health clinics and all recovery activities must be linked to longer-term development plans to enhance sustainability without losing emergency response capabilities. The institutional memory, lesson learning and capacity developed during the EVD operation must be maintained and adapted for recovery. Gains in EVD community engagement must also be strengthened as a first line of defence and for the building of resilience and response capacity.