By Kemo Cham
[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Sierra Leone government last
week announced stringent measures aimed at preventing the spread of the Ebola
virus disease from Guinea.
Guinea is battle the viral disease
in the second phase of the epidemic that first emerged in March 2014.
According to reports on Monday, at
least eight people have died since March 17 when the second outbreak erupted in
the country after it was declared free of the virus in December last year.
State House said in a statement last
week that it had taken the decisions after a meeting between President Ernest
Bai Koroma and relevant sectoral ministers and his national security team.
According to the statement, Koroma
was to invoke the military aid to the civil power (Mac-P) in all border areas
with Guinea. The meeting also agreed that Ebola protocols, including screening
and surveillance activities, be instituted in all border crossing points with
Guinea.
Movement between Sierra Leone Guinea
of either corpses or sick people was banned. A team from the national disaster
management was set to undertake a visit to the border regions with Guinea as
part of efforts to heighten awareness, the statement added.
The move by Sierra Leone came just
days after Liberia shutdown its border with Guinea.
Liberia has however since reported
new flare up. As of Monday a total of four cases have been recorded since last
week.
The World Health Organisation has
said investigations on the Liberia situation have been widened with suspicion
that it may have originated from Guinea.
(C) Politico 05/04/16
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