Sierra Leone VP Sam-Sumana quarantines self for Ebola fears

Samuel Sam-Sumana, vice-president of Sierra Leone, has put himself into quarantine after one of his bodyguards died from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

“[Sam-Sumana] has decided to place himself in precautionary quarantine, awaiting the results of tests by the health authorities,” his spokesman said.

According to BBC, Sam-Sumana said he would stay out of contact with others for 21 days as a precaution, facing the possibility of having contracted the disease from his aide, John Koroma.

After Koroma’s death last week, the vice president said he had chosen to lead by example, by getting quarantined.

Reuters quoted Sam-Sumana as saying he was very well and had no signs of illness, but he was unwilling to take chances.

This has made him the country’s first senior government official to subject himself to a voluntary quarantine.

Meanwhile, President Ernest Bai Koroma has announced new travel and transport restrictions within the country.

These restrictions now include a night-time ban on all boats launching from shore and from commercial vehicles off-loading goods in western market areas.

There was optimism the virus was on the decline in Sierra Leone at the end of last year but there has been a recent increase in confirmed cases, with 18 new discoveries in the past week.

As at February 25, 2015, at least 9,675 persons had died due to EVD, with 3,490 from Sierra Leone alone.