Sierra Leone ends three-day Ebola shutdown with 92 bodies found

Millions of Sierra Leoneans are set to emerge from their homes on Monday after a three-day nationwide lockdown during which 92 bodies and new cases of Ebola infections were uncovered. The west African country of six million had imposed the extreme measure in a bid to stem a deadly Ebola outbreak which has claimed more than 2,600 lives in the region. Only essential workers such as health professionals were exempt, as were some 30,000 volunteers who went door-to-door to hand out soap and give advice on halting the contagion. Liberia also announced a four-fold increase in hospital beds to 1,000 for Ebola patients in the capital Monrovia, as more US troops arrived to shore up overwhelmed local officials in the fight.

Patients are being rejected… because there is no space. So the government is trying its best to finish the 1,000 beds so we can accommodate all the patients.

Information Minister Lewis Brown

But the shutdown also drew criticism, with some calling it a mere publicity stunt and others complaining about the poor quality of advice given by volunteers on stemming the disease. Liberian health officials said action to stop the spread of the disease was also being hampered by traditional communities still ignoring advice on staying away from highly infectious corpses. The latest World Health Organisation figures show Liberia reporting 2,710 cases, but they were given a week ago. The government’s two Ebola units in Monrovia also say they have been deluged by patients in recent days.

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