NEWS : Local News -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sierra Leone News : Pujehun District Robustly Fights Ebola VD By Augustine Samba Oct 21, 2014, 17:20 Email this article Printer friendly page You May Click Here To Read or Discuss Views About This Article The District Medical Officer (DMO) for Pujehun District, Dr. David Bum has reliably informed the Awareness Times that the Ebola situation is under unique and robust control in that district. Speaking via telephone interview on Monday 20th October 2014, from Pujehun, Dr. Bum told our reporter that when the Ebola outbreak started in Sierra Leone, many people were speculating that like Kailahun, Pujehun was going to be another hot spot for infection because of its close ties with Liberia. According to him, when the first incident of Ebola was noted in Sahn Malen in Pujehun, all stakeholders pulled forward to plot as to how to contain the spread of the disease. The DMO went on to disclose that at least 949 people have been quarantined since the index Ebola case registered in that district but as of Sunday 19th October, 700 of the 949 had been released from quarantine; with 249 still remain under restriction. He disclosed that among the 12 Chiefdoms only Barrie, Malen and Makpele Chiefdoms have recorded Ebola cases so far. He said that since the Ebola disease entered Pujehun District few months back, Dumagbei I and Dumagbei II villages in Makpele Chiefdom have been quarantined. In Pujehun Town’s Hill Station area, the DMO disclosed that 20 people got quarantined in five households. He said Kenneh Street had 16 people in 6 households, Simpson Street: 12 people in 7 households, Kpetewoma: 13 people in 3 households and 6 health workers at the Pujehun Government Hospital. In Gobaru, he revealed 12 people had been quarantined at 15 Mission Road in one household, at #4 Bo Road 12 people had been quarantined in 2 households and in Gobaru Old Town 10 people in 1 household. In Kpangba Village 10 people were quarantined in 2 households. He went on at Largo Village in the Kpaka Chiefdom 32 people were quarantined in 5 households; in Blama Massaquoi the Chiefdom headquarter Town of Galiness Perri, 38 People were quarantined in 11 households; in Barri Potoru, 7 people were quarantined in one household and recently 45 people in 6 households were quarantined in Zimmi headquarters of Makpele Chiefdom. The DMO further disclosed that 3 chiefdoms Malen, Sorogbema and Makpele are now under strict blockade as according to him authorities are afraid for a wide spread of the Ebola disease. He said Makpele is the chiefdom that has registered so many Ebola cases, whilst Sorogbema is strategically located along the Sierra Leone Liberia Border and according to him, the military and the police as well as youth volunteer group headed by one time Civil Defense Commander, Edie Masallay are giving support to the officers to prevent movement of people from neighbouring Liberia. The DMO disclosed that there were 26 porous or illegal crossing points with Liberia in Makpele and Sorogbema chiefdoms but the youth volunteers are doing very well in monitoring those areas. For Malen the DMO said it is agricultural basket of Pujehun and because of its strategic position, the DHMT, security and authorities have decided to blockade the entire chiefdom in order to protect expatriate and local workers. “No unauthorised movement in and out of Malen”, he maintained adding that Sorogbema and Makpele are in similar position. He said several towns including Pujehun no longer hold prayers on Fridays and Sundays for people not to gather in large numbers in Mosques and Churches respectively. He informed that there are also several checkpoints mounted between Bo and Pujehun and also at Kenema/Pujehun Borders to restrict movement in & out. The Pujehun Medical Boss concluded that even though since the outbreak started, they have got only 25 positive cases of Ebola but he was going to continue to be robust in his surveillance of his district as Ebola was still raging in other parts of the country from which it could spread into Pujehun. © Copyright by Awareness Times Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone. You May Click Here To Read or Discuss Views About This Article Top of Page news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200526449.shtml
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 16:33:10 +0000
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