Sierra Leone Media Centre

The Western Area of Sierra Leone is the “hotspot” in this Ebola outbreak at the moment, with the highest transmission of any of the 3 most affected countries.

The Government of Sierra Leone, WHO and partners, are sending in a massive surge of staff and resources to this area to intensify efforts to curb the spread of Ebola disease.

Hand hygiene action to support containment of the Ebola outbreak has been crucial for all health workers. In Sierra Leone, WHO has supported training on the recommended hand cleansing steps to be performed as well as the products that can be used, monitoring progress with improvement over these months.

Upon learning of the first Ebola cases reported in Koinadugu District, Sierra Leone in October 2014, the World Health Organization and partners acted swiftly to track new transmission chains, increase key resources on the ground, and establish remote community care centers where they could do the most good. With support from the government and traditional leaders, this coordinated, targeted response is beginning to show signs of bringing the localized outbreak under control. 

In November 2014, WHO spokesperson Winnie Romeril joined WHO and partners on the ground and filed this video report.