The Sierra Leone government has imposed a country-wide three-day lockdown for citizens from September 19 to 21. In the wake of the largest Ebola outbreak in history, the government is planning to deploy upwards of 20 000 enforcers to ensure that residents stay indoors for the full duration of the lockdown. A similar lockdown was imposed upon the residents of the West Point slum in Monrovia, Liberia last month, after a treatment centre was raided.

The West African outbreak has claimed the lives of 2105 individuals in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria since its inception in March. The lockdown aims to prevent the further spread of the disease and to isolate any new cases.

“We don’t expect them to refuse. You follow or else you’ll be breaking the law. If you disobey then you are disobeying the president.” said Sidie Yahya Tunis, the health ministry’s communications director.

It is imperative that the population works with the government in order to ensure affirmative action to contain the virus. Given the past history of tension between government officials and the general population during the course of the outbreak, a forcible implementation may further exacerbate violent protests and human rights issues. Such events are only likely to distract from the real issues at hand.

The Ebola virus infects humans through close contact with infected animals including chimpanzees, fruit bats (considered a West African delicacy) and forest antelope. It is then transmitted between humans via direct contact with infected bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through exposure to contaminated environments.

While the fatality rate for the disease is typically 90 percent, the outbreak has reached a mortality of 55 percent. Of the deceased, more than 20 were healthcare workers.

In an emerging response to the growing mortality rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that vaccines would be released to healthcare workers as of November, once safety tests were completed. The WHO further stated that the blood of recovered Ebola patients contained antibodies that could be used to fight the virus effectively, and could hence be used as a form of treatment. Large scale data on the efficacy of this treatment, however, is yet to be produced.