BY Taiwo George
Two new cases of Ebola surfaced in Sierra Leone’s Tonkolili district after a man died last week in the area where the deadly virus had not been seen for months.
According to the national Ebola response centre, the two new cases are relatives of a man who contracted the virus in mid-July.
The victim contracted the disease in Freetown, capital of the country, traveled to his home village, and was treated for fever at a local hospital but authorities did not call the Ebola emergency number.
His family and friends buried him without following the special procedures required for Ebola victims to avoid spreading the disease.
But the authorities have moved in to contain the situation.
“We now know where the virus is and we are tracking its movement, by surrounding, containing and eradicating its last remaining chain of transmission,” an official of the response centre said.
The official said 500 people have been quarantined after the death of the unnamed man, adding that more cases are feared.
Tom Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is currently in Sierra Leone to observe the impact of the Ebola outbreak and to assess steps needed to get the country to zero cases.
Frieden will meet government officials, international partners, and health care workers to consult on the outbreak response and discuss CDC plans to help Sierra Leone.
Ebola has killed more than 11,200 people worldwide with nearly all deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
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