Highlights:
In the week to 31 May 2015, there were 12 confirmed Ebola cases, up from three cases the previous week, and the highest number of cases for nine weeks.
To 3 June 2015, there have been a total of 8,624 people who have contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, of whom 3,546 have lost their lives.
The majority of cases this week came from the chiefdom of Kaffu Bullom in Port Loko. UNICEF and partners provided technical and coordination support in the house-to-house social mobilization and case search campaign in the community, reaching 4,065 people (933 households).
Currently, UNICEF and partners are implementing a week-long community dialogue and listening visits around the community to better understand the fears and issues and to provide targeted messages.
Protection and Social Mobilization Specialists of UNICEF, along with partners, are visiting all schools to pass on Ebola safety messages and explain why homes in Kaffu Bullom are under quarantine. UNICEF WASH teams also visited the schools and found they all had received hand washing kits and were using them.
UNICEF distributed school materials to the children in quarantine homes as well as keeping track of children needing baby food.
In Kambia district, the ambulance exhibit initiative was launched during the week. The joint initiative of various pillars led by the CDC team covered strategic sites and villages across four chiefdoms to reduce fears about ambulances.
UNICEF Sierra Leone requires a further USD 58 million of the USD 178 requested for its response to the Ebola crisis until end of June 2015. To date, USD 119.8 million has been received – 67 percent of the total*.
*Funding status as of 2 June 2015