HIGHLIGHTS
No new cases were reported in Sierra Leone in the period from 30 September to 14 October 2015. All 763 contacts in the district of Bombali were released from quarantine on 4 October 2015.
Sierra Leone begun the 42-day countdown to zero on 28 September 2015. If no further cases are reported, the country is expected to achieve Ebola free status on 8 November 2015. UNICEF and partners continue to reinforce messaging around the need to remain vigilant and keep practicing safe behaviours.
The Guinean district of Forécariah, at the border with Sierra Leone, also reported no new cases in the reporting period, but one case was reported in the capital of Conakry on 13 October 2015. In view of potential unrest from the Guinean Presidential elections, resulting in persons fleeing to Sierra Leone, social mobilization activities have been reinforced to sensitize border communities on the need to maintain vigilance, report the influx of persons across the borders, intensify the screening and report any rumors to the District Ebola Response Center.
Project Shield was launched on 6 October 2015 in four wards in Freetown. UNICEF is supporting 1) the identification, verification and registration of Ebola survivors 2) the provision of psychosocial support 3) the assessment of survivor needs/mapping of services, and 4) the training of survivor advocates on psychological first aid. To this end, UNICEF Child Protection team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA), Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), UNAIDS and the National AIDS Secretariat conducted a training on psychological first aid and safe sex practices for 130 survivors in the Western Area. UNICEF also supported the registration of survivors in the four wards of the Western Area.
UNICEF and UNFPA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), MSWGCA and the Office of the Wife of the Vice President, launched a project to support the education of teenage pregnant girls on the International Day of the Girl Child, 12 October 2015. There has been a noted increase in the number of pregnant girls during the Ebola outbreak and the project will allow more than 3,000 teenage pregnant girls across Sierra Leone to continue their education and facilitate their reintegration into schools.