As part of a massive campaign to eradicate the spread of Ebola from one of the hardest-hit countries in West Africa, officials in Sierra Leone are now going from house to house looking for unreported cases of the deadly disease.
John Welch, chief clinical officer at Partners In Health, told HuffPost Live's Marc Lamont Hill that expecting people to come forward and identify themselves as having Ebola symptoms is problematic.
"In an epidemic like this, really one of the most important pieces of really gaining control is what we call active case finding," Welch said, explaining that this includes going to homes and interviewing families to make sure sick people are given the care they need.
Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma also banned all Christmas and New Year's gatherings in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading to rural areas as people travel home for the holidays.
"I know that this is the festive season where Sierra Leoneans often celebrate with families in a flamboyant and joyous manner, but all must be reminded that our country is at war with a vicious enemy," Koroma said, CBS reported.
Watch the clip above for more information about Sierra Leone's new massive campaign.
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"Her fiancé came to see her when she came home, but she doesn’t know if they will get married. Despite the death of her mother, her aunt, and her niece, she is full of life."
"M’Balia’s husband died in September. She is now facing extreme poverty and cannot afford to feed her children every day. As a widow with two children, she has no chance of remarrying."
"Only the little girl was infected with the disease. The children haven’t realized that they are now orphans. The problem of caring for children affected by the disease is becoming urgent."
"Her father-in-law has always supported her. It took a lot of persuasion from the community health workers to convince her to seek treatment. She works at the nursing station at the KM 36 military barracks. Ever since she received her certificate of discharge from the military, her community has been more present."
"Kanta is from a Wahhabi family. Despite her unease and the horrible stigma she suffers, she wants to speak up about her experience."
"He lost his job and has to care for his younger brother and sister. He will need to be very successful in order to reintegrate into his community, otherwise they will continue to think that he is cursed."
"Nyanbalamou Gabou is a medical student. He raised awareness about the disease with his neighbors before being infected. As a result, he wasn’t rejected by his community when he returned home."
"Mamadou Sadio Bah is a doctor in a health center. Ever since he got sick, he has been working to dispel myths about the disease."
"She works at the Ebola Treatment Center in Donka. She lost her position as a teacher because of her illness."
"Fanta Cherif remains hidden in her house. Her friends don’t call her any more and her studies have been put on hold by her illness. The after-effects of the virus lasted for a long time in her case. You can recover from Ebola but still experience symptoms for up to seven weeks."
"Ever since her brother and five members of her family died, Fatoumata Binta has had to take care of her younger brother. Her neighbors have closed the shutters facing her house. She is thinking about working at the Ebola center in Donka."
