FAIRFIELD, Conn., Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Save the Children is opening its first specialist Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Sierra Leone, as part of its wider fight to treat and stop the spread of Ebola.
Located in Kerry Town, 40 kilometers outside the capital Freetown, the 80-bed facility provides diagnosis and treatment to infected patients, while ensuring that children receive the care and protection they so desperately need. The center will increase local capacity to rapidly assess and hospitalize patients, while helping to reduce the risk of further infecting friends and relatives at home.
"Sierra Leone, which has seen the number of new Ebola cases rise for six consecutive weeks, is one of the countries in the region most gravely affected by Ebola, leaving its population and health-care system completely overwhelmed," said Rob MacGillivray, country director for Save the Children in Sierra Leone. "This treatment center will help with the early diagnosis of those infected with Ebola, increasing their chances of survival."
The Ebola Treatment Center will have more than 200 frontline medical staff, including a contingent of Cuban doctors, with around 50 on shift at any one time. A further 50-70 non-clinical support staff and more than 100 hygienists will also be based at the Kerry Town site, with 100 to 120 staff working at the center at any given time. In addition, the center will house a small separate clinic run by the UK Ministry of Defense to treat both Sierra Leonean and international health workers, should they become infected with the virus.
"Our new Ebola Treatment Unit is critically needed to help protect the wider community from further infection – including thousands of children, who stand to lose the most as a result of this unprecedented deadly outbreak," said Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. "Now is the time for us to work together to get this epidemic under control."
"We hope that offering a separate wing for staff treatment will restore the confidence of health workers previously reluctant to join the fight against Ebola – particularly when thousands of doctors, nurses and other medical staff are still desperately needed in the region to help save lives and prevent the disease from gaining any more ground," said MacGillivray.
Patients arriving at the treatment center will be triaged by staff wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), who will take blood samples and immediately send them to the onsite lab for testing, with results expected within a matter of hours. If patients test positive for Ebola, they will be sent to one of three wards, based on the severity of their symptoms: one for mild cases, another for severe cases, and one for emergency cases.
"While this treatment center is a significant step in the right direction in treating those affected by Ebola and slowing down its spread, if the virus is to be contained, the international community must step up its efforts in the coming weeks by allocating more funds and medical personnel," added McGillivray.
The Kerry Town Ebola treatment center was built in partnership with the UK's Department for International Development (DfID), the Ministry of Defence and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health.
In September, Save the Children opened a 70-bed Ebola treatment unit in Bong country, Liberia, which is being run by the International Medical Corps (IMC) – and is set to open a second treatment unit in Margibi County later this year. It will also open the first of 10 Community Care Centers in Liberia next week, which are smaller, community-led facilities designed to isolate and treat Ebola patients within their towns and villages.
Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood — every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Media Contacts:
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Related Links:
Save the Children
Save the Children's Ebola response
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SOURCE Save the Children
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