Vigilance against a possible spread of the Ebola virus was urged by the Red Cross on Thursday, as holiday travel picks up for the Christmas season in west Africa.
"There may be a risk of waves of infection if not all the measures are taken," Elhadj As Sy, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters in London.
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"It is a combination of (a) festive season where we have a high mobility of people and also a high risk of, you know, letting your guard down and not being vigilant."
"It is an alert for greater vigilance," he said, adding: "Our best bet right now is to count on behaviours, attitudes, community mobilization, treatment, safe and dignified burials".
![Two-Week Lockdown in Eastern Sierra Leone Mining District Due to Ebola]( "Two-Week Lockdown in Eastern Sierra Leone Mining District Due to Ebola")
A two-week lockdown on the eastern diamond mining district of Kono was imposed on Wednesday after eight cases of Ebola were confirmed in one day.
The IFRC chief also recognized the apparent "plateauing" of Ebola infection and signs it is declining in some places, but warned that this should "not be a reason for complacency".
IFRC currently has around 11,000 volunteers in the three countries worst hit by the Ebola epidemic -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Red Cross volunteers work mostly on burying victims and transporting patients to clinics.
The epidemic has killed 6,388 people so far out of a total of 17,942 recorded cases in eight countries, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
Source: AFP
Two-Week Lockdown in Eastern Sierra Leone Mining District Due to Ebola
A two-week lockdown on the eastern diamond mining district of Kono was imposed on Wednesday after eight cases of Ebola were confirmed in one day.
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The IFRC chief also recognized the apparent "plateauing" of Ebola infection and signs it is declining in some places, but warned that this should "not be a reason for complacency".
IFRC currently has around 11,000 volunteers in the three countries worst hit by the Ebola epidemic -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Red Cross volunteers work mostly on burying victims and transporting patients to clinics.
The epidemic has killed 6,388 people so far out of a total of 17,942 recorded cases in eight countries, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
Source: AFP
WHO Head Admits to the UN Body Being Slow in Ebola Response
The UN body was slow in responding to the outbreak of Ebola that has now killed more than 6,300 people in West Africa, conceded the head of the World Health Organization.
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 Ebola Virus DiseaseEbola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus. | Advertisement
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