ALERT Weekly Report – March 31, 2015

This meeting is a continuation of talks between Guinea and Liberia and the first such meeting between Nimba and Lola. Cross-border surveillance and Community Event-Based Surveillance remain priorities, with Global Communities planning orientations in Gbarpolu and Bong for mid-April. A TOT on the border surveillance toolkit is also planned in Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties during the next reporting period. Global Communities supported 93 safe and dignified burials this reporting period, including the final confirmed Ebola case in the country. Burial teams remain mobilized and active in all 15 counties, with IFRC planning to phase out its activities in Montserrado County over the month of April. CLTS activities are ongoing in Bong, Nimba, and Lofa, with a focus on border surveillance in all five counties bordering Sierra Leone and/or Guinea. In Bong County, border surveillance/monitoring continues to be a priority, with gCHVs fully deployed in all border communities with the Republic of Guinea. Two of the five triage and screening stations have been completed, and the third is expected to be completed on April 2nd. Social mobilization activities linked to border surveillance are ongoing, with Global Communities holding five clan and community meetings in Zota and Panta-Kpaai health districts. A total of 183 people attended the meetings, including attendees from Guinea and other district and county health officials. In Gbarpolu County, contact tracers visited 67 communities and 814 households, referring 106 other cases to five clinics. Follow-up of the cases referred to clinics is ongoing in the county. Border surveillance activities, including at formal checkpoints, are ongoing in Kongba District, with contact tracers monitoring the district's five surveillance check points. Burial teams remain active, but most burials in the county are conducted by community and family members. The highlight of activity in Lofa County was a two-day training workshop on Community Event-Based Surveillance, supported by Global Communities and other partners. The meeting brought stakeholders together to review cross-border protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to discuss how these tools can be incorporated into Lofa County cross-border surveillance and monitoring activities. Participants from BIN, Joint Security, MIA, MOH, and local and international NGOs attended.