Guiba Kondé sleeps in a small hut off the side of the dusty road in Nougani, Mali. There are no stores for miles; in fact, there is not much there at all. Yet Nougani retains a key importance for one reason: it is a transit point through which travelers from Guinea enter into Mali. Thus, Nougani is at the heart of the international community’s efforts to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and people like Kondé are the ones leading the charge.

“Mali has reached zero cases of Ebola but we’re still at risk,” says Kondé. “When you’re here, like me, every day, and you see just how many people cross the borders every day – it never stops – you understand the risks.”

Under the coordination of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working with the Guinea and Mali Ministries of Health to undertake surveillance and outreach activities at points of entry along the Guinea-Mali border. Due to the high mobility and cross-border movements of the population, the risk of the Ebola Virus Disease spreading from one country to another remains great.

“Outreach is one of the most important things we do here,” says Kondé, who works with the IOM. “We find that many of the travellers don’t know about the risks of Ebola or how to stay safe. They tell us that the information we give them is really helpful.”

At each Flow Monitoring Point (FMP), IOM workers like Kondé register the passage of all travelers, collecting data such as vehicle number, nationality, age, telephone number, and origin and destination. These are validated at corresponding checkpoints on either side of the border, each of which is staffed by four IOM personnel, along with one national military and civil medical personnel each. If any of the information does not match, the travelers are immediately turned back.

Kondé and his colleagues also teach proper hand washing hygiene, educate travelers about the risks of Ebola and how to protect themselves, and finally, take their temperatures before allowing them to proceed. Anyone found to have a fever is transported to a nearby treatment unit for further assessment.

Lt. Bandjougou is a doctor with the Malian military who waits for suspected cases to be brought to him at the treatment unit in Kourémalé.

“So far, I haven’t seen any cases brought there,” he says. “But we’re working closely with the IOM and others in case it does happen. We’re ready.”

Baly Kourame has also been working alongside Kondé in Nougani as part of IOM’s border surveillance team.

“This illness doesn’t just concern my country,” says Kourame. “I’m here working at the border to not only ensure that Ebola doesn’t enter in my country, but to ensure it doesn’t go back to Guinea or any other country either.”

From 22 November to 2 January, two of these FMPs recorded over 29,500 travelers, averaging between 4,000 and 6,000 per week. With nine new FMPs opened soon after, a total of 43,626 travelers were screened between 3 and 19 January.

“This country is still at risk,” says Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, WHO Representative and Head of UNMEER in Mali. “It’s very easy to travel between the different countries…There is still lots of work that needs to be done at the borders to maintain vigilance and reinforce surveillance activities.”

The last Ebola patient in treatment in Mali recovered and was discharged on 12 December. Meanwhile, as of the week ending on 1 February, Sierra Leone reported 80 confirmed new cases, Guinea 39 and Liberia five.