Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Published : September 23, 2014 11:35 AM IST
The three-day nation-wide lockdown declared by Sierra Leone government was the most drastic action taken so far by any of the Ebola-hit countries in West Africa. Although a few experts opposed the decision saying that it could backfire and instead just worsen the outbreak, after three days the government has declared lockdown as a 'huge success.' Here s why:
Identified missed Ebola cases: The lock down was announced so that health workers, as many as 20,000, could facilitate contact tracing and identify missed Ebola cases that could be responsible for worsening the outbreak. Contact tracing is cataloguing people who might be infected or have come into contact with the infected person and are difficult to trace. After the lock down ended, almost 150 new cases were discovered, which would have spread the disease if contact tracing was not done.
Made contact tracing possible: Experts earlier identified that containing the outbreak would be extremely difficult is contact tracing is not done. The lock down was successful in doing that.
Helped in spreading awareness: The health-workers went door-to-door to educate people about the virus and the disease spread and treat those who were identified with the symptoms.
Dead bodies discovered: As many as 90 dead bodies infected with Ebola were discovered in three days
Improved public response: About 123 people called the helpline numbers and contacted authorities for information about Ebola virus and the lock down. 50 percent of those who called in were tested positive.
Image source: Getty images
Video source: newsy.rightster.com
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