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New Ebola death in SLeone dims optimism for epidemic’s end

The case brought the number of Ebola fatalities to two since President Ernest Bai Koroma discharged the last Ebola patient at a ceremony on August 24.

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Dr. Bruce Aylward, Special Representative on Ebola Response for the World Health Organization (WHO), made those remarks at a press conference in Geneva, following his return from the “hot spots” of the epidemic in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

But less than a week later officials confirmed a new death in the northern Kambia district.

The city is located in Bombali district, bordering Guinea.

NERC described the case as “disappointing” but said response teams had been well prepared for coping with such an event. The province last reported a case almost six months ago, official records show.

But experts stress the risk may persist because the virus can live on in bodily fluids, notably sperm, for months.

More than 100 people have since taken an experimental vaccine against Ebola that has seen success in Guinea.

The centre said those locked down included her parents, close relatives and classmates.

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Robureh residents told AFP by telephone the “once vibrant community” had become “as silent as a graveyard” with people shut in their homes. The announcement marked another setback in ending Ebola transmission in Sierra Leone, which has totaled nearly 4,000 Ebola deaths during the worst outbreak ever recorded.

Francisco Leong