The Ebola Outbreak
During the Ebola outbreak CODU supported and implemented a communications platform that enabled Chiefdom authorities to effectively monitor and providie real-time reports to the National Ebola Response Centre on new illnesses, arrivals & departures. As a result only two confirmed Ebola cases occured during the outbreak and the virus was never transmitted within the Chiefdom.Ebola hemorrhagic fever, now known as Ebola virus Disease (EVD), is a contagious and very deadly disease caused by the Ebola virus. Ebola was ravaged Sierra Leone in 2015. There were numerous efforts by the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), and numerous International Organizations in tackling the current Ebola outbreak. The main challenge has been reaching every single suspected case. For a number of cultural, societal, infrastructural & logistical reasons, approximately 20% of Ebola cases werew eluding the authorities in Sierra Leone. Considering the exceptional and urgent nature of the situation, the threat to the lives of the population and the rate at which the epidemic is spreading in the subregion, it wasimportant for all at hand to complement efforts. In this light, the CODU supported an operation and a platformed that empowered traditional ruling structures to lead in monitoring, & reporting at the rural Chiefdom levels. By tackling the cultural, societal and logistical gaps, with focus on the Chiefdom of Gbo in Bo District, which lies only 15 miles from Sierra Leone’s second largest city Bo;
CODU facilitated:
- District Health Management Teams (DHMT) in getting prompt information as to suspected cases
- The ability of the Chiefdom Structures in communicating with the DHMT, GoSL and themselves.
- Dedicated, workshops for the Chiefdom Authorities, traditional ruling structures in the absolute dangers of Ebola, encouraging all burials to be temporarily left to DHMTs during the Ebola outbreak