‘Sierra Leone to contain Ebola by 2015’

Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma says his country will have the deadly Ebola virus contained by the end of the year.

“The Ebola outbreak was announced in May and it was new to all of us…. I am of the view that by the end of the year, we’ll be in a position of not eliminating but containing the Ebola virus,” Koroma told Britain’s ITV News on Thursday.

The Sierra Leone president emphasized the cooperation from the World Health Organization to help in the government’s handling of the crisis.

“We are not alone in the fight. We also had the World Health Organization, who principally advised us on what to do, and every step of the way we have had consultations with them and I believe we have been reacting appropriately,” Koroma added.

However, he criticized the international community for its apparent failure to address the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone at an earlier time.

“There have been commitments in terms of filling in the gaps. We wish this was done at some time in the past, but that is where we are,” Koroma stated.

Health teams in Sierra Leone have been working desperately to contain the virus.

The deadliest Ebola epidemic on record has reportedly infected over 6,000 in the three countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, killing nearly half of the patients.

In Sierra Leone alone, the epidemic has claimed nearly 1,200 lives as of October 14, according to the latest World Health Organization figures.

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 be also spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

There is currently no known cure for Ebola.

GMA/HSN/SS