Bye-Bye Ebola - November 7, 2015

On Saturday, November 7, 2015, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola Virus Disease crisis OVER in Sierra Leone. We can say, “bye-bye Ebola”… The first confirmed case of Ebola was diagnosed in Sierra Leone on May 26^th 2014. After 18-months of living under the shadow of Ebola… the country is tired, relieved and elated.

The declaration, “Ebola-free”, was celebrated in many ways… One of the most memorable took place on Friday evening as groups of civil society organizations held a candlelit march along the main business street in Freetown. The march culminated under the giant, historic “cotton tree” in the centre of Freetown and, among other activities, a list of 221 names of healthcare workers who’d died was read before the hushed masses. Those same hushed masses later erupted in jubilation when an MC counted down the seconds to mark midnight – and the official “day of declaration” – November 7. (117) I’ll come back to the significance/coincidence of this pattern of numbers.

Amidst the crowd, there were nurses, survivors, NGO workers, military personnel, International aid workers, journalists, funders, kids, teens and adults… who all survived the Ebola crisis in one way or another. I should add… the theme colour for the procession was YELLOW, recognizing the Yellow Ribbon campaign to End Ebola that the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists initiated (and I was an integral part of) way back in February 2015. It was a sea of yellow ribbons/shirts, candles, tired tears and jubilant hoopla. And, I’ll admit, I felt tingles of excitement and a welling of tears several times during the march and presentations.

 The following morning, starting at 8:00 a.m., the more formal declaration was to be made. In the stately Bintumani Conference Hall, surrounded by women in yellow dresses, men in yellow shirts or yellow ties, and yellow ribbons/wristbands, the country’s leaders, diplomats, journalists, healthcare workers, survivors, burial teams, and politicians from the ruling party, gathered. The President sat alongside his appointed Vice and his First Lady at the head table. Paulo Conteh, the CEO of the Emergency Response Centre sat beside one of the Ministers of Health. The first Ebola survivor and the last Ebola patient/survivor sat at one end of the table. The head of UNMEER was there… and, of course, the WHO Country Director.

 In a surprisingly short statement, the WHO Country Director, Dr. Anders Nordstrom, congratulated the people of Sierra Leone, International partners, INGOs, funders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, healthcare workers and the GoSL. He said, … after two incubation periods of 21 days, with no new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease, on behalf of the World Health Organization, I officially declare the Ebola crisis OVER in Sierra Leone. And, the gathered dignitaries erupted with sustained, standing applause.

After several speeches, a song from a young survivor and thanks – all round – the morning ended with the playing of the national anthem. It was nowhere near as emotional as the candlelight vigil but I felt the tingles raise the hair on the back of my neck as the declaration was made.

Throughout the ceremony, special attention was given to the healthcare workers and doctors who’d lost their lives to the Ebola virus. Survivors took centre stage as well and were recognized by all presenters, including the President.

The numbers - In Sierra Leone, more than 3,900 people died and there were more than 14,000 cases confirmed. Over the past 18 months, across the most-affected countries in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization, 11,314 people have died. And, 28,607 cases have been confirmed. Most experts agree these numbers are grossly under-estimated.

November 7 – 11/7. Over the course of the disease progression, the phone code 117 was used as an emergency telephone number to report sickness, death, suspected deaths, cases, etc. It was used to summon ambulances, aid and contact tracers. After months of initial failure, this 117 hotline became symbolic of help… and sometimes became the butt of tension-relieving jokes. 

“Got a problem – call 117.”