Sierra Leone: Vice president in quarantine after possible exposure to Ebola

Sierra Leone’s Vice President Sam Sumana has placed himself in quarantine following the Ebola death of one of his guards, a government spokesman said Saturday, as the country reintroduced travel restrictions as the number of new cases rises again. Sumana’s bodyguard died from Ebola on Friday. On Wednesday, Sierra Leone said it was seeing a spike in Ebola infections, blaming unsafe burials that threaten to undermine the recovery from the deadly epidemic. The country recorded 18 new cases of Ebola, up from 16 new cases last week, breaking the trend of declining cases.

The common denominator in the new cases is involvement with maritime activities.

Sierra Leone’s Vice President Sam Sumana

In response to the rise in new cases, Koroma on Saturday re-imposed restrictions including a nighttime ban on all boats launching from shore and on commercial vehicles off-loading goods in western market areas. Naval vessels will enforce the measures by patrolling the wharves and coastline. More than 9,500 people have died of the disease since the west African epidemic emerged in southern Guinea in December 2013.

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