Dear Colleagues,
Through 1 February there have been a total of 21,724 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD with 8,641 deaths. Cases have increased slightly in the last reporting period - 124 confirmed cases were reported, up from 99 the week before. Sierra Leone accounted for 80 of the 124 new cases, Guinea 39 and Liberia the remaining five. WHO has emphasized the need to step up response efforts before the start of the April-May rainy season, when it will be more difficult for health teams to travel.
Numbers indicate that there are continuing problems tracking the spread of the virus. Only 21 percent of new cases in Sierra Leone were from known contacts, indicating that health officials in Sierra Leone do not know how the majority of new patients are being infected. In Guinea about half of the new patients were from contacts of other cases, while 100% of the new confirmed cases in Liberia occurred among registered contacts.
Suspicion of aid workers, especially in Guinea, and unsafe burial practices continue to hinder efforts to contain the virus. Ten out of 34 prefectures in Guinea reported at least one security incident or refusal to cooperate with aid efforts in the last week. In the same period, 35 unsafe burials were recorded. According to reports, a single unsafe burial in the eastern prefecture of Lola in early January sparked nearly a dozen confirmed cases. Unfortunately, Ebola continues to spread to new areas in Guinea, close to the border with Mali. In light of this, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal are strengthening surveillance coordination. A rapid-response team has also been put in place in the border area between Lola and Côte d’Ivoire to assess risk and strengthen surveillance there.
In the United Kingdom, the only EVD patient has tested negative twice for EVD and has been discharged from the hospital. All contacts have completed 21-day follow-up. The country should be declared EVD in early March, if no other cases arise.
Please email David Rolph, our director of Global Security, david_rolph@abtassoc.com and cc Sarah Dedic, sarah_dedic@abtassoc.com with any questions you have about the status of the outbreak.
Best,
Jay
Jay L. Knott | Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer | Abt Associates
O: 301-347-5896| F: 301-828-9739 | www.abtassociates.com
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