More than 100 people quarantined after Sierra Leone Ebola death

[Tab]

Source: Reuters



More than 100 people have been quarantined in Sierra Leone after coming in contact with a woman who died of Ebola last week, highlighting the potential for the disease to spread, just as the deadliest outbreak on record appeared to be over.

The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared that "all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa" after Liberia joined Sierra Leone and Guinea in going six weeks with no reported new cases of Ebola. At the same time, it warned of possible flare-ups as survivors can carry the virus for months.

Just after the WHO announcement on Thursday, tests revealed that Mariatu Jalloh, a 22-year-old student, died of Ebola on Jan. 12. Her death has concerned health experts because authorities failed to follow basic protocols, according to a health report seen by Reuters last week.

The report stated that she lived in a house with 22 people while she was unwell. Five people were involved in washing her corpse, a practice that is considered one of the chief modes of Ebola transmission.

The Ministry of Health and the Office of National Security said in a joint statement that 109 people have so far been quarantined, 28 of whom were high-risk cases.

"An active case investigation continues in the four districts where the young woman was known to have traveled," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-leone-idUSKCN0UV0MS

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Hell, it was barely 2 weeks ago we declared Ebola wiped out.

(sigh)

[uppityperson]

1. It is difficult to get people to change their habits, more education money and people are needed

Hoping for the best for those who were close to this woman.

[Yo_Mama]

2. Just a day or two, actually. They declared the West Africa epidemic over last week.

But the point is that the vaccine works, the procedures have been developed and do work, and the mindset in the area has got to change. The way fevers and deaths are handled must change.

The situation is so infinitely better than it was in 2014 that it is like night and day.

There will be flare-ups. That is known and expected. The infrastructure should be in place to deal with them with minimal transmissions, as long as the monitoring procedures are followed.

Also we must keep funding in place. That's critical.

[MisterP]

3. it's called "state magic"--here Freetown isn't providing healthcare by budgeting for clinics or

training, but is promising health and modernity in and of themselves, through a mystified power of the state

unsurprisingly reliance on total victories over this or that disease quickly contradict the press announcement once the lab tests come in