Sierra Leone – an update
Firstly, an update on the Ebola figures for this week. These figures are accurate for the 20th and 29th October, and the new cases only pertain to that day only.|
|
|
20th
Oct
|
29th
Oct
|
|
|
New Cases
|
Kailahun
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Kenema
|
0
|
4
|
|
|
|
Kono
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Bombali
|
0
|
11
|
|
|
|
Kambia
|
0
|
5
|
|
|
|
Koinadugu
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
Port Loko
|
9
|
4
|
|
|
|
Tonkolili
|
4
|
6
|
|
|
|
Bo
|
4
|
0
|
|
|
|
Bonthe
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Mayamba
|
2
|
3
|
|
|
|
Pujehun
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
Western Urban Areas
|
30
|
6
|
|
|
|
Western Rural Areas
|
19
|
4
|
|
|
Total New Cases
|
New Confirmed Cases
|
69
|
47
|
|
|
| ||||
|
|
|
20th
Oct
|
29th
Oct
|
%
Change
|
|
Cumulative Cases
|
Kailahun
|
545
|
551
|
1%
|
|
|
Kenema
|
467
|
485
|
4%
|
|
|
Kono
|
34
|
39
|
15%
|
|
|
Bombali
|
441
|
540
|
22%
|
|
|
Kambia
|
26
|
36
|
38%
|
|
|
Koinadugu
|
2
|
15
|
650%
|
|
|
Port Loko
|
444
|
518
|
17%
|
|
|
Tonkolili
|
150
|
199
|
33%
|
|
|
Bo
|
153
|
174
|
14%
|
|
|
Bonthe
|
2
|
2
|
0%
|
|
|
Mayamba
|
85
|
96
|
13%
|
|
|
Pujehun
|
25
|
28
|
12%
|
|
|
Western Urban Areas
|
492
|
601
|
22%
|
|
|
Western Rural Areas
|
359
|
478
|
33%
|
|
Total Cumulative Cases
|
Total Confirmed Ebola Cases
|
3225
|
3762
|
17%
|
|
Total Discharged Cases
|
Total Survived & Released
|
652
|
786
|
21%
|
|
Total Cumulative Deaths
|
Total Confirmed Deaths
|
986
|
1057
|
7%
|
There are a number of things to point out from these figures, so we will start from the top:
- There is little benefit in comparing the regional new cases between 29th and the 20th, there are too many variables to affect these these figures.
- We can take some positives from the fact that the overall new case figures have dropped by 32% to 47 new cases on that day. We will have to wait and see next weeks results to confirm this trend.
- The data for Kailahun and Kenema is also encouraging, and tallies with other reports that suggest the local population has really got behind the government’s containment efforts (see below). This has led to the two areas posting a very low number of new cases, and only increased by 1& and 4%, respectively, over the 9 day period.
- Western rural and urban areas, Bombali, and Port Loko are of particular concern as the percentage growth remains high and there are already a large number of confirmed cases in these areas. EducAid, of course, has schools in both Freetown and Port Loko.
- These are figures that come straight from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. There are several different reports and figures, but none that we have found with this regional breakdown. There have been several accusations of underreporting of cases by the government.
|
|
New
Cases
|
Cumulative
Cases
|
Growth
Rate per day
|
Discharged
|
Deaths
|
Mortality
Rate
|
|
20th
Oct
|
137
|
3225
|
4.25%
|
652
|
986
|
66.1%
|
|
29th
Oct
|
47
|
3762
|
1.25%
|
786
|
1057
|
74.4%
|
The mortality rate has increased to over 74% from 66%, and has brought about the changes outlined by the Ministry of health and Sanitation as described in last week’s update.
As briefly mentioned above, there is some very good news. It seems as two of the major Ebola hotspots, Kailahun and Kenema, have managed to contain and control the outbreak. It is still very early to confirm that this is the case, but there have been numerous reports that there has been a mindshift of the population. Palo Conteh, the CEO of the National Ebola Response Center, and previously Minister of Defence, said the following:
"If people in other areas of the country copy the example of eastern Kailahun and Kenema Districts, then the spread of the disease will subside like in Kailahun and Kenema. As I speak, people (near the capital) are still touching people suspected with the Ebola disease, people are still burying corpses at night of those who have died of the disease."[1]
EducAid - an update
There are quite a few updates regarding our situation in Sierra Leone. 3 of our male students in Rolal have not been permitted to return to the school home because they stayed out one night without permission. This brings us all in to danger, and a strict part of our protocol is to not permit of any member breaches this rule.|
|
Lumley
|
Magbeni
|
Rolal
|
Rogbere
|
Maronka
|
4 M schools
|
||
|
Number
of Students & Staff Week Ending 26/10/2014
|
||||||||
|
Male
Staff
|
32
|
10
|
28
|
14
|
13
|
19
|
||
|
Female
Staff
|
8
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
||
|
Male
Students
|
19
|
20
|
33
|
33
|
23
|
0
|
||
|
Female
Students
|
21
|
12
|
12
|
15
|
21
|
0
|
||
|
|
||||||||
|
Number
of Students & Staff Week Ending 19/10/2014
|
||||||||
|
Male
Staff
|
32
|
10
|
28
|
14
|
13
|
19
|
||
|
Female
Staff
|
8
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
||
|
Male
Students
|
19
|
20
|
36
|
33
|
23
|
0
|
||
|
Female
Students
|
21
|
12
|
12
|
15
|
21
|
0
|
||
As we mentioned in a previous post, it is often not the Ebola that will kill us, it is the lack of access to other healthcare facilities that will do the damage. To highlight this problem, one of our Women’s Project teachers, Haja Gbla, is suffering from stomach ulcer. Pa Cole the gate man for EducAid Lumley is suffering from hernia, he needs emergency operation. Mr Alfred J Kanu, a teacher at the Mafoimba Primary School lost his wife; her corpse was tested for but the result proved that she did not die of Ebola.
Unfortunately, we must report that one of our students, Mohamed G Bangura, a day student in B+ died yesterday. The Ebola team have taken the body to Connaught hospital for verification to identify whether or not he died from Ebola. It is very sad news.
Read last week’s post here, follow us on Twitter, like us on facebook, or Donate to our campaign #AfterEbola now.
All of your support helps us in ways you can’t even imagine. £15, the price of a bottle of wine, will feed, house, medicate and educate a vulnerable child in Sierra Leone.
Think about how much you can afford…and please keep giving.
Are you still confused about how one might contract Ebola? Read this
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