The Acting Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS), Mr. Steven E. B. Koroma has disclosed to journalists on Wednesday 29th August 2012 that the SLRCS has received an additional twenty-eight delegate experts from the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Society comprising of different nationalities across the world to help combat Cholera in Sierra Leone.

The Acting Secretary-General made this disclosure at the SLRCS Headquarters Conference Room on Liverpool Street in Freetown where he was addressing a battery of journalist on SLRCS’ response to the outbreak of Cholera in Sierra Leone.

According to Mr. Koroma, the SLRCS noted with grave concerns that the outbreak was an emergency health situation that poses threat to the lives of people and though it fit to seek assistance from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society for medical and personnel support.

He revealed in response to their call, quite recently a Cargo plane filled with Cholera drugs, medical equipment, Doctors and Nurses landed in Sierra Leone from the Finnish Red Cross in Finland.

Mr. Koroma said in addition to this gesture, the Society has again received twenty-eight delegate experts from the IFRC, adding that these experts are currently working in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF, Sierra Leone Water Company and the New Apostolic Church in Bombali and Tonkolili districts respectively to tackle the epidemic. He assured that with the equipment and other medical items brought into the country to support in the fight against Cholera, Sierra Leone will soon be declared Cholera free.

He further revealed that the government of Sierra Leone through the World Health Organization has brought in international experts to find out the cause of the Cholera outbreak in the country.

Head of the Delegate Experts and Coordinator Madam Tiina Saarikoski from the IFRC stated that they are in Sierra Leone to support the government and its people to eradicate the Cholera outbreak.

She said their intervention is to halt the spread of the disease to other parts of the country, whilst disclosing that they have trained over three hundred local people across the country to carry out house to house sensitizations about the prevention and treatment of Cholera. Madam Saarikoski also revealed that their target is focused four areas which include Bombali, Tonkolili, Port Loko and Kambia district, to handle the epidemic.