President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma has expressed strong disappointment with the Paramount Chiefs of Bo District over what he termed as their inability to stop Ebola from spreading in that district. Furthermore, the Head of State gave a strongly worded warning to the chiefs that when he shall have returned to Bo after another 21 days, he does not want to hear of any new cases of Ebola arising in their respective chiefdoms. He cautioned that they will only have themselves to blame for the consequent action he will take against them if there is news of new Ebola cases in their chiefdoms.

The President made this statement while addressing key stakeholders on Friday 28th November 2014 at the Bo Mini Stadium along the Bo-Kenema highway in Bo. He went further to say Government is taking extra-ordinary measures in order to combat the disease which included empowering Paramount Chiefs to formulate bye-laws. He lamented that the bye-laws have not been effective.

President Koroma further disclosed that his visit in Bo is to continue his engagement with key stakeholders in the fight to eradicate Ebola in our beloved country stating that we are all aware of the negative impact Ebola has created on our nation’s economy as well as claiming lives of our relatives, noting that the outcome of the fight against this dreadful disease in Bo, Bombali, Port Loko and Tonkolili districts including the Western Area is not encouraging. He said attitudes are the reasons why citizens fail to take preventive measures to stop the virus spreading.

The President added that no matter the amount of treatment centers and laboratories that we may have in Sierra Leone, if people do not change their behavioral patterns in the fight against Ebola it will be very difficult for us all to win the Ebola war.

H.E. Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma further stated that in the report produced by the Bo District medical officer Dr. Alhaji Seni Turay, the new Ebola cases are being recorded on a daily basis citing out the new hotspots within the district which include Benduma and Kowa in the Niawa Lenga chiefdom, Kpetema and Mbawomahun in the Bumpeh Ngao chiefdom that have recorded twelve confirmed cases for the past two weeks. He said the report further confirmed that some people wash dead bodies, attend funerals, and harbor sick people and strangers without reporting to the appropriate authorities as stated in the bye-laws. He described such actions as “frustrating”.

President Koroma therefore called on Paramount Chiefs to re-double their efforts and reactivate their communication skills to their people towards the Ebola fight adding that Paramount Chiefs that are not residing in their chiefdoms should return now and lead the fight against Ebola in their chiefdoms “for the sake of Mama Salone”.

Earlier, giving a situational report on Ebola, the District Medical Officer, Bo District Alhaji Dr. Sanie Turay said since the outbreak of Ebola in the country Bo has screened eight hundred suspected cases of which two hundred and fifty-four (254) were confirmed positive while one hundred and thirty (130) are confirmed as dead. He said fifty-two (52) houses have been quarantined. He said only four out of the fifteen Bo chiefdoms have not reported any Ebola case. Dr. Sanie Turay lauded the Donor Partners and government agencies for their humanitarian support to the Ebola fight.

However, President Koroma’s statement in Bo was quite contrary to the praises he lavished on the Kailahun Stakeholders for their giant efforts in reducing the Ebola disease at its original base. According to Hon. Sahr Patrick Tengbeh of Constituency 03 representing the Ruling All Peoples Congress, the President was effusive in his praises of the Paramount Chiefs and residents of Kailahun during his visit there earlier that same day he was in Bo district.