Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana of Sierra Leone has put himself in 21 day quarantine, following the death of one of his security guards from Ebola.
Sumana is Africa’s first high ranking official to be subject to a voluntary quarantine. He decided to quarantine himself for 21 days after the death of John Koroma from Ebola last Tuesday. This highlights the rise of new cases in the country, which has experienced a setback in curbing the spread of the virus.
In an interview with Reuters, Sam-Sumana said his decision to be quarantined stemmed from the principle of leading by example, and the fact that he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. “I have decided to be put under quarantine because I do not want to take chances and I want to lead by example. I am very well and showing no signs of illness.”
Sierra Leone recorded up to18 new cases of Ebola in the last week of February, an increase from 16 cases in the third week. The World Health Organization report in the third week February shows that, 63 out of 99 newly confirmed cases of Ebola in the region were in Sierra Leone.
In a statement on Sunday, Vice president Sam-Sumana said, “This virus has affected thousands of our people and has nearly brought our country to its knees. We all have a collective responsibility to break the chains of transmission by isolating the sick and reporting all known contacts, by not touching the dead … We cannot be complacent. We must work together as a nation to end Ebola now.”
In response to the rise in the new cases, President Ernest Bai Koroma who had earlier lifted travel restrictions in order to stimulate economic activities, on Saturday re-imposed restrictions on movements within and out of the country.
There will be a reinstatement of restrictions on Public transportation and ferries; and health checkpoints will be strengthened.
As reported by Fox News, Sam-Sumana, who is set to become acting president on Sunday when President Koroma leaves the country to attend an EU conference on Ebola in Belgium, will carry out his presidential duties from his home.
In addition to battling an increasing spread of Ebola, Sierra Leone’s government is currently investigating a misappropriation of funds donated for the fight of the virus. An audit showed that nearly one-third of the money, about $5.7 million was used without necessary receipts.
