Sierra Leone steps up safe burials for Ebola victims
- 9 years ago
Alimamy Sesay is part of a team of 12 getting ready to conduct safe burials for suspected Ebola victims in Sierra Leone.
The disease has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa alone.
Sesay says people are now more aware about how the virus spreads and that it remains active even in dead bodies.
(SOUNDBITE) (Krio) ALIMAMY SESAY, BURIAL TEAM MEMBER SAYING:
"People are now cooperating compared to before and they are ready for us to take their dead. At first I was afraid to do this work but as I know how to protect myself, am no longer frightened to do the work."
Despite the safer burial procedures, the bureaucracy is creating confusion for some.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SAHID HASSAN JALLOH, BROTHER OF EBOLA VICTIM SAYING:
"They had me give a funeral to another person who they said is my sister, but who is not. It really pains me because I know who my sister was to me and now they just dumped her like a commoner and she was a devout person."
The disease has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa alone.
Sesay says people are now more aware about how the virus spreads and that it remains active even in dead bodies.
(SOUNDBITE) (Krio) ALIMAMY SESAY, BURIAL TEAM MEMBER SAYING:
"People are now cooperating compared to before and they are ready for us to take their dead. At first I was afraid to do this work but as I know how to protect myself, am no longer frightened to do the work."
Despite the safer burial procedures, the bureaucracy is creating confusion for some.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SAHID HASSAN JALLOH, BROTHER OF EBOLA VICTIM SAYING:
"They had me give a funeral to another person who they said is my sister, but who is not. It really pains me because I know who my sister was to me and now they just dumped her like a commoner and she was a devout person."