News
On 12 January, IOM deployed materials and equipment in Boke in the context of launching Community Event-Based Surveillance activities (CEBS).
By January 15, the National Coordination for Ebola response asked IOM to restart its health screening activities at Points of Entry (PoE) in the areas bordering Sierra Leone.
On 12 January, a 22 year-old woman died in Tonkolili, in the Northern part of Sierra Leone. Two days later, an analysis of a sample taken from her body confirmed that she died of the Ebola virus disease (EVD).
Resurgence of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone
On January 12th, M. J. , a 22 year-old student from the town of Lunsar, died in the town of Magburaka, the capital city of Tonkolili District, in the Northern part of Sierra Leone. Two days later, analysis of samples taken from her body proved that the cause of death was EVD. Investigations have revealed that she had stayed at various places in the sub-region and was in contact with many people, some of which have been identified, others not. Efforts are ongoing to trace her route in order to identify all the people with whom she had been in contact and thus restrict the spread of the disease.
This resurgence of EVD in neighboring Sierra Leone reminds us that we are not yet definitively out of the risk of a resurgence of the epidemic. As soon as January 15, the Government of Guinea asked its partners, including IOM, to revive health screening activities along the border with Sierra Leone, particularly at the point of entry of Pamelap.
Since the official declaration of the end of the Ebola epidemic in Guinea on 29 December 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO), no new cases have been reported. However, authorities continue to stress the need for eightened vigilance throughout the country.