According to report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ebola outbreak in the West African region started in the Republic of Guinea early this year and spread quickly to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. With a population of around 6.5 million people, Sierra Leone continues to face serious challenges in combating this killer disease.

In his latest address to the nation on Ebola, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma said we as a nation have taken extra-ordinary measures, including declaring a state of public health emergency and shutting down the country for three days 19th-21st September to get over 27,000 health educators unto every household in the country. Five districts have already been quarantined and tougher measures are in place in the remaining seven districts to combat this scourge.

The Ebola outbreak is not getting any better. It has reached a point that is far beyond the capacity of the government of Sierra Leone to contain the virus. The current health infrastructure is made worse by the shortage of medical staff and basic protective gears like gloves, aprons and face-masks to prevent and control the disease. There is a depleted stock of these personal protective equipment a situation that is worrying the health personnel and the people of Sierra Leone. There are restricted movements of people and vehicles, no public gatherings, limited economic activities, and essential goods and services are in short supply.  

Alluring to the daily update from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation on Ebola, as of Friday 26 September 2014, there were 35 confirmed new Ebola cases; 413 survivors; 529 cumulative confirmed deaths representing an increase of 42% from a baseline of 372 on the 28 August; 1920 cumulative confirmed cases representing an increase of 94% from a baseline of 988 on the 28 August; 163 suspected cases representing an increase of 163% from a baseline of 62 on the 28 August; and 11 suspected deaths. The statistics above illustrate that there has been a considerable upsurge in the numbers of confirmed deaths, confirmed cases, and suspected cases in the last four weeks. The virus epicenter districts of Kailahun and Kenema continue to record the highest number of new and affected families in the country. This is followed by Bombali, Port Loko and Moyamba districts. Another immediate concern adding to the list of issues is the number of orphans resulting from this virus. There are scores of little children who had lost their parents and immediate family members that are not being fully cared for.

The economy of the country is in grave peril which indicates that the government largely depends on support from the international community. The present situation requires urgent and increasing efforts from international NGOs, WHO, Sierra Leoneans living abroad, and the international community to help in preventing further spread and containing the virus. As a Sierra Leone community in Australia, we set up a working group called “Salone Ebola Action Group Australia (SEAGA)” with chapters in the different states and territories to work collaboratively to attract attention to the urgency of the needs created by Ebola and help collect the resources required for combating this toxic virus/disease in Sierra Leone.

Since the end of the civil conflict in 2002, the Sierra Leone government continues to experience a deficit budget which means they always have to rely on assistance from the international community to meet its annual expenditure for public services including health and education. It is obvious that the Ebola outbreak has worsened the social, economic, and health situation in Sierra Leone.