The death toll, resulting from the Ebola epidemic, has risen to 6,915, with over 18,603 cases recorded as of December 14, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

But the health organisation insist it will continue its campaign to halt the epidemic. “A major operation has been implemented to curb the spread of disease in the west of the country,” it said. Recently, measures to step up the fight against Ebola have intensified. On Wednesday, Sierra Leone was flooded with health workers who scoured the streets of the capital Freetown for patients. This was after the government launched a major operation to contain the epidemic in the most affected country in West Africa.

According to Reuters, Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma said on national television that travel within the country had been restricted as part of “Operation Western Area Surge”. Public gatherings will also be strictly controlled in the run-up to Christmas; the government has already banned Sunday trading and halted Saturday shopping at noon, especially during this festive season. “This is the festive season where Sierra Leoneans often celebrate with families in a flamboyant and joyous manner but all must be reminded that our country is at war with a vicious enemy,” he said.

Following this development, there are signs that the spread of the virus in Sierra Leone has reduced, although 327 new cases were confirmed there in the previous week, including 125 in Freetown, WHO said in its latest update.

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