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Projects
To Fight the Ebola Epidemic in Sierra Leone
Short Description:
Overall goal
Sierra Leone (SL) reported the first case of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in May 2014 and by mid August, 848 infections and 365 deaths had been registered in Sierra Leone. The disease has a fatality rate of up to 90% and no licensed treatment appropriate for infected humans is available. According to Sierra Leone's National Taks Force for EVD, the lack of:
- culturally appropriate community awareness raising about EVD identification and protection, tied to ignorance and
misinformation among the population;
- effective surveillance and reporting of EVD infected people by the communities and
- sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and disinfectant (chlorine)
are causing serious risks for a continued spread of EVD.
This projects thus seeks to contribute to the prevention and containment of EVD in Sierra Leone in three districts (Bo and Pujehun in the south and Kono in the east), by aiming to achieve the following results:
1) 50 nurses are being trained in how to prevent, identify and treat Ebola and in how to properly use PPE and chlorine.
2) 50 community health workers, 100 faith leadears and 2500 key community stakeholders (such as traditional
leaders, village chiefs, teachers or women group leaders) who are respected by their communities and therefore
have an enormous outreach and impact on people's opinion and behaviour , are properly trained in delivering
sensitzation messages on EVD prevention and identification and in conducting community surveillance and
tracing for about 6.000 people in the 3 districts.
3) Ebola treatment and/or isolation centers in the 3 districts are equipped with PPEs and chlorine
in order to reach about 6.000 people living in rural communities within the targeted districts, who have so far not been reached by any active organisation involved in the EVD response.