“In our chiefdom we have the necessary structures in place — leaders of all the villages are part of the Ebola response and fully involved, we have an active surveillance approach, and the population is well informed,” explains Philip Musa Koroma, Deputy Paramount Chief of Nimiyama Chiefdom in Kono district in Eastern Sierra Leone.
He has just finished a meeting with the chiefdom Ebola Taskforce, where village leaders and representatives of civil society groups proposed and discussed solutions to the current situation. Aiming to mobilize all community members, this Ebola Taskforce embodies local, collective ownership in the fight against the disease.

The chiefdom saw its first case of Ebola 2 months ago. In the last 2 weeks, more than 20 cases have been reported.

"Our great challenge is logistics. We don’t have ambulances. It takes a long time for teams to arrive while roads are difficult and distances are long," explains Chief Koroma. "The imminent construction of a Community Care Centre in our chiefdom and of an Ebola Treatment Centre in the district capital Koidu will help patients receive care early."

One of those who recognizes the importance of early care is Umaru Sow, head of Nimiyama main community health centre in the chiefdom. “I got infected when treating a patient who did not give me full information, so I assumed he would not be a possible Ebola case,” recalls Mr Sow. “After I tested positive for Ebola in the district hospital in Koidu, I was transferred to Kenema for treatment. I think my full recovery was due to the early use of supportive medicines and intravenous fluid. I requested this treatment while still waiting for the transfer.”