Sierra Leone

To Prevent The Next Plague, Listen To Boie Jalloh

10:20am October 09, 2015

by Amy Maxmen

He's a doctor, an imam and a millennial. His ideas about fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone are part of the reason that, this week, the three countries at the center of the epidemic reported no new cases.

A celebration erupts in the streets of the Massessehbeh village on Friday, after President Ernest Bai Koroma officially ended Sierra Leone's largest remaining Ebola quarantine.

Zero Ebola Cases Reported In Sierra Leone, As Epidemic Peters Out

10:13am August 20, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A year ago, West Africa was reporting more than 500 new Ebola cases each week. This week, the region had just three. Could the epidemic finally be grinding to a halt?

Nurse Issa French with his wife Anita, who's holding a copy of Time magazine's issue devoted to front-line workers. He's earned that title, treating more than 420 Ebola patients.

A Doctor's Gift To The Brave Nurses Of Sierra Leone

2:15pm August 13, 2015

by Amy Maxmen

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia volunteered to help fight Ebola in the African nation. When she learned that many of the nurses there didn't always receive a salary, she sprang into action via crowdfunding.

How Sierra Leone's Most Famous Journalist Helped NPR Get The Ebola Story

7:03am August 01, 2015

by Nurith Aizenman

At the height of the epidemic, Umaru Fofana was our guide — and a one-man solution system. This summer, he stopped by NPR's headquarters for a reunion with our Ebola reporting team.

A police officer guards the home of a family under a 21-day Ebola quarantine in Freetown, Sierra Leone, back in March.

Why Ebola Won't Go Away In West Africa

1:19am June 20, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Over the past few months, case tallies have dipped toward zero, only to bounce back up. Health officials worry the outbreak could never end if people keep hiding cases and dead bodies.

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Chuckie Taylor in Liberia at an unknown date and location.

Florida Teen, War Criminal: The Life Of An 'American Warlord'

3:33pm April 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

Johnny Dwyer's new book explores the life of Chuckie Taylor: the son of Liberia's former president, a leader in the Liberian Civil War and the only American ever convicted of torture committed abroad.

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'Visibly Pregnant' Girls Are Banned From School In Sierra Leone

11:36am April 07, 2015

by Laura Starecheski

The theory is that they could influence "innocent girls," says the minister of education. That's a belief that's held around the globe. Researchers have another idea.

The health workers of Sierra Leone — like Dr. Komba Songu M'Briwah (on the phone) — were dedicated to fighting Ebola. But they had a huge handicap. A government report reveals that some of the money allocated went to pay "ghost workers."

If You Know Where The Missing $6 Million Is, Please Tell Sierra Leone

6:17pm April 02, 2015

by Thomas K. Grose

Funds allocated to fight Ebola have vanished into thin air. That kind of funny money business happens all too often when disaster strikes and donations roll in.

Light shines through the chlorine-stained windows in the blood-testing area at Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town, Monrovia, Liberia.

As Ebola Crisis Ebbs, Aid Agencies Turn To Building Up Health Systems

3:31pm March 25, 2015

by Nurith Aizenman

The virus is largely contained in Liberia. But an already-fragile health care system has been devastated. Crucially important workers have died. Will the world pay attention — and pitch in?

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Twins Watta and Fatta Balyon pose outside the home of their guardian Mamuedeh Kanneh in Barkedu, a village in Liberia.

A Year Of Ebola: Memorable Moments From Our Reporters' Notebooks

2:43pm March 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

They remember an early survivor, the crying child, the teenager who wouldn't give up, the woman who had only bananas to eat, people shaking hands again despite the risks.