Sierra Leon on red alert as Ebola patients escape from hospital

The health authorities of Sierra Leon have launched a nationwide alert  to prevent an eminent spread of Ebola following the escape of a 32-year-old woman and an 8-year-old girl  for several hours from a treatment centre on the outskirts of Freetown on Saturday.

The 2 patients, who absconded together, were later traced to an undisclosed location and returned to the clinic after radio appeals to the public to assist in locating them.

The Sierra Leonian  National Ebola Response Centre spokesperson confirmed the development.

 “Our contact tracers and surveillance officers are meanwhile tracking the level of contacts the two would have made during the period of their escape,” he spokesman said.

The worst Ebola  outbreak in history has seen 27,600 infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, of which 11,253 have been fatal, according to official data largely deemed to be an underestimate.

Sierra Leone has seen almost half of the total caseload, reporting 3,941 deaths as of July 8, and is currently treating 10 patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier reported that a retreat of the Ebolan virus “that was apparent throughout April and early May had stalled” in Sierra Leone.