Sierra Leone remembers Ebola victims

Sierra Leone has commemorated the end of the Ebola epidemic by observing three minutes of silence all over the country.

The Ebola Epidemic ended in Sierra Leone later last year with statistics showing that about 8.704 people were infected while 3.589 others lost their lives.

In a televised address to the nation Sierra Leone’s president Ernest Bai Koroma called on his citizens to also remember the sense of national unity that was rediscovered during that period. “As we restored basic health services and maintained a zero rate of Ebola infection, we have taken steps to create a safety net for some of the most vulnerable in society including EVD (Ebola virus disease) survivors. We have also allocated resources to our business sector, beginning the process of reviving that vital engine of our economic growth. An independent assessment has shown that the first phase of our recovery programme was largely successful,” he said.

The Ebola system caused a lot of pain among families and placed the economy in a very difficult situation.

For now the Sierra Leone government has been working with international partners to encourage dedicated health workers, create systems for alert and information management as well as encouraging community engagement.