Sierre Leone records two new cases of Ebola

Two new cases of Ebola have surfaced in Sierra
Leone’s Tonkolili district after a man died last
week in the area where the deadly virus had not
been seen for months, according to an official.
The two new cases are relatives of a man who
contracted the virus in mid-July, the National Ebola
Response Centre’s OB Sisay said on Sunday.
“We now know where the virus is and we are
tracking its movement, by surrounding, containing
and eradicating its last remaining chain of
transmission,” Sisay said.
Authorities moved quickly to contain the spread,
but more cases are feared, he said.
Following the death of the unnamed man,
authorities quarantined 500 people.
The victim contracted the disease in the capital,
Freetown, and then travelled to his home village to
mark the end of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan.
He was treated for a fever at the local hospital but
authorities did not call the Ebola emergency
number.
The concerns come as Tom Frieden, director of the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is
in Sierra Leone to observe the impact of the Ebola
outbreak and to assess steps needed to get the
country to zero cases.
Frieden will meet government officials, international
partners, and health care workers to consult on the
outbreak response and discuss CDC plans to help
Sierra Leone.
Northern Tonkolili had not had a single case of
Ebola in five months. The new case shows,
however, how just one sick person can change
that.
His family and friends buried him without following
the special procedures required for Ebola victims
to avoid spreading the disease.
Ebola’s main symptom is fever, which is also
found in more common illnesses such as malaria
and typhoid.
This Ebola outbreak has killed more than 11,200
people worldwide with nearly all deaths in Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia.