Ebola

In the past year CDC has deployed hundreds of staff to Sierra Leone to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the National Ebola Response Center, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, and other partners to respond to the 2014 outbreak of Ebola. Experiencing the highest number of confirmed or suspected cases in West Africa (a total of 13262, as of July 23, 2015), Sierra Leone has, with the help of CDC and other partners, strengthened infection, prevention, and control measures; contact tracing; health promotion; laboratory capacities; and Ebola treatment to dramatically reduce the number of cases and deaths.

CDC is currently helping Sierra Leone in “getting to zero” through the energized response of Operation Northern Push in Kambia and Port Loko and Operation Safeguard in Western Area. These initiatives deliver a speedy and quality response where it is needed most.

CDC is supporting the Sierra National Ebola Response Center and District Ebola Response Centers in applying as many resources as needed to identify, contain, and get rid of Ebola. Tactics include encouraging people to call the response line (117) for help with early symptoms, avoiding contact with sick people, practicing safe burials. These tactics have been working.

CDC is providing key assistance to meet the goal of performing rapid, accurate, and complete contact tracing to find every single Ebola case and contact to prevent the disease from spreading.