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Sierra Leone News: More work and engagement for women to end ebola

Mon, 2015-05-04 10:30 — mike kraft

AWOKO.ORG by Berry Milton May 4, 2015

Getting ebola to zero and staying zero is very crucial at this time, it is because of this that the women of Sierra Leone have taken the lead in the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, an initiative by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) now led by Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL).

Given a background to the campaign which was launched about three months ago, SLAJ President Kelvin Lewis said the aim was to inject new energy into the drive to get zero ebola cases as people are tired and frustrated not seeing the ending of the virus, “even though the figures were going down ebola was fighting back.”

He said the campaign is a personal commitment to be made by people which is very important as it means safe and dignified burial, to keep all sick people away from others and to speak out by calling 117 if they know of any sick person and contacts must stay in one area with food and water.
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http://awoko.org/2015/05/04/sierra-leone-news-more-work-and-engagement-for-women-to-end-ebola/

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Nine Ways We Are Beating the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa

Mon, 2015-04-27 14:31 — mike kraft

THE HUFFINGTON POST by Nathalie MacDermott April 26, 2015
.. Addressing an Ebola epidemic of this scale has taken the international community on a journey never before walked. Previously tried and tested methods have been used as well as novel strategies, but the scale that has been required is unprecedented.

Rapid response medical team outside a mobile treatment facility
Nathalie MacDermott/Samaritan's Purse International Relief

It is also apparent that no 'one size fits all' approach can work - the approach must be multifactorial, addressing the problem at it's roots within the communities where the outbreaks occur, but also on a national level to provide large scale isolation of cases and interrupt transmission of the virus.

Below are nine ways in which we are beating the Ebola epidemic in West Africa:

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Social Pathways for Ebola Virus Disease in Rural Sierra Leone, and Some Implications for Containment

Mon, 2015-04-20 14:16 — mike kraft

PLOS by Paul Richards and others April. 17, 2015
The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever recorded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact.

Social factors are thus clearly important to understand the epidemic and ways in which it might be stopped, but these factors have so far been little analyzed.

The present paper focuses on Sierra Leone, and provides cross sectional data on the least understood part of the epidemic—the largely undocumented spread of Ebola in rural areas. Various forms of social networking in rural communities and their relevance for understanding pathways of transmission are described. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between marriage, funerals and land tenure.

Funerals are known to be a high-risk factor for infection. It is suggested that more than a shift in awareness of risks will be needed to change local patterns of behavior, especially in regard to funerals, since these are central to the consolidation of community ties.

http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567

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Avoiding Ebola – how this Chiefdom in Sierra Leone did it

Thu, 2015-04-16 11:11 — mike kraft

UNICEF CONNECT blogs.unicef.org April 15, 2015

by Margaret James, a Health Officer with UNICEF, Sierre Leone

When I first heard in February that Lugbu chiefdom was one of the few in Bo District, Sierra Leone, that had not recorded a single case of Ebola, my interest was immediately triggered. On 2 March 2015 we got to visit the chiefdom’s main town, Sumbuya, for several hours of meetings with local leaders, youth, a traditional healer and business people to find out more.

Lugbu chiefdom has several entry points and can be accessed by both land and water. (c)UNICEF Sierra Leone

In our quest for answers, we got permission from the local Paramount Chief, (PC) Mohamed Allie Nallo, who gave his blessing and got in touch with key people to help us in our research. We held group meetings, one-on-one interviews and even carried out spot visits.

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Young people played a game-changing role in the battle against Ebola in Liberia

Wed, 2015-04-15 12:42 — mike kraft

THE GUARDIAN by Ashoka Mukpo April 24, 2015

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Archie Gbessay, 28, stands at an intersection in Monrovia’s West Point neighbourhood next to a stall where mobile-phone recharge scratch cards are sold. Across the street is a school that, in August 2014, became the focus of Liberia’s Ebola crisis. It was being used as a holding centre for Ebola victims when enraged residents broke through its iron gate and released patients.

Youngsters in the township of West Point take a leading role in the effort to bring the Ebola outbreak in Liberia under control. Photograph: Ahmed Jallanzo/EPA

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Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia: The View from Below

Mon, 2015-04-13 17:35 — mike kraft

PLOS by Saron Alane Abramowitz, Kristen E. McLean and others, April 9, 2015

The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures.

In this context, community-based responses have proven vital for containing Ebola virus disease (EVD) and shifting the epidemic curve. Despite a surge in interest in local innovations that effectively contained the epidemic, the mechanisms for community-based response remain unclear.

This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia.
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http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003706

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A Community-Engaged Infection Prevention and Control Approach to Ebola

Mon, 2015-04-06 21:35 — Kathy Gilbeaux

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

CLICK HERE - A Community-Engaged Infection Prevention and Control Approach to Ebola

CLICK HERE - FULL TEXT LINKS - A Community-Engaged Infection Prevention and Control Approach to Ebola

Abstract

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Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Lessons Learned from Quarantine

Fri, 2015-03-20 17:09 — mike kraft

THE ASSESSMENT CAPACITIES PROJECT (ACAPS) March 19, 2015

Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Lessons Learned from Quarantine--Sierra Leone and Liberia (acaps) The use of quarantine in West Africa is debated by various stakeholders. Some INGOs have argued that quarantine can fuel panic and counterproductive behaviour. Others have defended quarantine as a vital complementary tool to prevent the spread of infection and facilitate contact tracing....

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http://acaps.org/img/documents/t-acaps_thematic_note_ebola_west_africa_quarantine_sierra_leone_liberia_19_march_2015.pdf

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Watch closely and explain frequently: Liberia's Ebola lessons

Sun, 2015-03-15 11:42 — mike kraft

REUTERS By James Harding Giahyue and Emma Farge March 13, 2015

MONROVIA/DAKAR - Seven months after Ebola paralysed Liberia's capital, Friday marked 21 days since the country registered a case of the virus - offering lessons to its neighbors on the importance of surveillance and education in beating the deadly epidemic....

A massive influx of international aid, including crucial U.S. military assistance, helped Liberia to turn the tide of the outbreak.

But, notes Tariq Riebl, Oxfam's Ebola response manager in Liberia, "What got us to the endgame is that communities took things into their own hands...."

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http://news.yahoo.com/watch-closely-explain-frequently-liberias-ebola-lessons-184507811.html;_ylt=AwrBJR6EmAVV3D0AbnTQtDMD

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