UN
Liberia: The road ahead from zero Ebola transmissions
“The Liberian people have won their fight against Ebola through their resilience and through their solidarity.”
With that, Peter Graaff, Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) opened his remarks at a national celebration ceremony on 9 May 2015 to mark Liberia being declared free of Ebola Virus transmission by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Together, we’ve gone through so many hardships these last many months,” said Graaff. “But now is the time to be grateful for this dark cloud to have passed, to remember the thousands of Liberians who lost their lives, and the many health workers who paid the ultimate price to serve their fellow man.”
Beyond being grateful, Graaff urged vigilance and continued support towards Liberia’s recovery.
“It’s not over for Liberia, and even the President herself at the celebrations last Monday was very clear – it’s not over for Liberia until it’s over for the region,” he said. “Our collective opportunity now is to ensure that the country has a healthcare system that is so strong, so resilient that it can be able to deal with any future outbreak head on.”
As Liberia celebrates its achievement, Sierra Leone and Guinea are still working to reach zero cases. Last week, Sierra Leone reported three cases in nine days, while in Guinea, a spate of new cases raised concern among Ebola response partners. 23 new cases were reported in the week to 15 May compared with nine cases the week before.
“The good news is that in both Sierra Leone and in Guinea, the cases are confined to a relatively small number of district or prefectures,” says Graaff. “It allows us collectively – governments, NGOs – to engage at the local level with communities.”
To that end, Graaff urged the international community to stay committed to the affected countries until each reaches zero cases.
“It’s not that as the cases come down that you need fewer resources. You need plenty of resources. It’s just that you need slightly different resources,” he says. “It’s no longer the time of the large number of health care providers in Ebola treatment units. It’s now time for social engagement, for anthropologists, for social mobilizers, for active case finding, for surveillance.”
Weather, however, could prove a major setback in the Ebola response, warns Graaff.
“We need to move fast. It’s not only about engaging but engaging rapidly. The rainy season is upon us. That will make operations much more difficult.”
In total, 26,755 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in the three most affected countries, with 11,072 reported deaths.
