Sierra Leone is one of the countries worst hit by Ebola.  A few days ago, the government imposed a three-day curfew to enable a team of 30,000 health workers identify and isolate cases of Ebola.

Yulisa Ahmadu is a Sierra Leonean radio DJ, who once lived in The Gambia for more than a decade. Speaking exclusively to What’s On-Gambia, he said: “The Ebola outbreak is completely a strange thing to Sierra Leone. So everyone is scared of catching the disease. The sad part is you can’t really easily tell who is infected or not by just looking at them.”

Yulisa, who was a famous child activist, added: “Avoiding body contact makes the whole situation very difficult. To prevent the spread of the disease, the government is controlling public gatherings, social recreational facilities, banks have to close earlier, no schools…..so it’s really a hard moment for all.”

Already, Ebola has killed more than 500 Sierra Leoneans. According to media reports, many people are reluctant to seek treatment for Ebola, fearing that diagnosis might mean instant death.

“The rule is simple – if you want to stay alive, protect yourself. So no hugging, handshaking, kissing or anything that might lead to body contact,” Yulisa explained.

When asked about the government -imposed curfews, the radio DJ said: “The government believes that this will reduce the chances of further spread of the disease. So the curfews are meant to restrict movements so people will not interact on a frequent basis.”

He continued: “This year, students taking the WASSCE Exams have still not sat to it, because of the outbreak. Also, the junior secondary school students have not sat to their BECE Exams. The outbreak came at a time when the exams were drawing closer. So a lot of things have gone bad in the academic sector.”

Yulisa’s advice to The Gambia is: “Prevention is better than cure. It is best to prevent the disease from entering. Imagine having to drop the culture of greeting, sharing, eating from the same bowl, hugging and caring for the sick.

“You should continue with the massive sanitization and awareness on the Do’s and Don’ts  of Ebola. Denial can cause more damage.  Some of the people that got infected in Sierra Leone were never sure that disease is real. So they took the risk to care for their sick relatives and attended funerals of people killed by Ebola.  The disease is real, so stay alert!”

The Gambia is still an Ebola-free country, with no reported cases. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is doing everything possible to prevent the deadly disease reaching our shores.