Sierra Leone Begins Second Day of Ebola Shutdown

FREETOWN (Press TV) – Sierra Leone has observed the second day of a 72-hour nationwide shutdown aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

Date: 21 September 2014 - 20:50

News ID: ۵۳۵۱

Most people in Sierra Leone stayed indoors for the second day on Saturday with the exception of health professionals and security forces, while some 30,000 volunteers are going door-to-door to educate people on the virus.
However, the Freetown government has come under criticism over the shutdown, which critics say is a poorly planned publicity stunt. Some observers have also expressed concern over the quality of information being given out.
"While the supervisors were well trained, the visiting teams to families in some parts in the Western Area had poor training and could not deliver the information properly,” said Abubakarr Kamara, from the Health for All Coalition, a local charity.
Despite criticism from some health professionals that the shutdown could backfire, Sierra Leone has insisted on going ahead with the measure.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2,630 people have died of Ebola so far, while over 5,350 others are infected.
Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.