Sierra Leone has one of the lowest life expectancy in the world in addition to having one of the highest mortality rates for children under five years of age. Six of the top ten causes of death in Sierra Leone are related to infectious diseases. Acute watery diarrhoea, measles, viral haemorrhagic fevers and rabies are among some of the most critical health concerns in the country.It was only six years ago that the country faced the worst Ebola outbreak in history, which killed almost 3,600 people in Sierra Leone alone.
Sierra Leone Red Cross, with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and funding from USAID, has been helping communities prepare and prevent the spread of diseases, including Acute watery diarrhoea, measles and viral haemorrhagic fevers. Focusing in Kailahun and Kambia, Sierra Leone Red Cross is working with governments, communities, local responders and humanitarian partners to collectively prepare for and respond to epidemics.
Sierra Leone Red Cross is providing critical information, community-based surveillance and referrals in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and Ministry of Education to help stop diseases from spreading before an outbreak occurs.
We are ensuring communities have itical information about the spread of diseases and how to prevent them, systems to detect outbreaks and mechanisms that ensure information sharing and community engagement.Activities include:
• Engaging communities through house-to-house visits, mobile cinemas and group discussions.
• Strengthening community-based surveillance systems.
• Engaging, training and collaborating with community influencers, such as teachers, leaders and traditional healers.
Sierra Leone Red Cross has more than 16,000 volunteers across the country which gives extraordinary reach into communities. In their supporting role to the government, they are often central to emergency responses amid outbreaks. Activities include:
• Contingency planning with government and key partners.
• Strengthening systems to enable a fast, scaled-up response.
• Strengthening partnerships with different sectors and ministries.
• Strengthening partnerships with different sectors and ministries.
• Training and readying communitybased volunteers.
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Epidemics not only threaten lives but all aspects of society, including trade, transportation and education. We work with a variety of key stakeholders and the media in epidemic preparedness and response. Activities include:
• Helping prepare a variety of sectors to respond (including those affected by both animal and human health).
• Training media to communicate lifesaving information to affected populations.
• Engaging, training and collaborating with schools, teachers and students through school clubs on critical epidemic preparedness messages and referrals.