Dear Colleagues,

Officials are still struggling to put an end to the year-long Ebola epidemic. The decline in confirmed cases has plateaued, and the WHO says increased efforts are need to stop transmission of the virus. In all, 26,079 people have contracted the disease and 10,823 of them have died.

In the week ending 19 April, a total of 33 confirmed cases were reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Liberia reported no confirmed cases. If this trend continues, Liberia should be declared Ebola-free on May 9 — 42 days after the death of the last confirmed victim.

Guinea’s 21 new confirmed cases this week marked a decrease from 28 a week earlier. However, out of a total of 11 confirmed Ebola deaths in the country, six individuals died in their communities with the Ebola diagnosis made post-mortem. For three consecutive weeks, fewer than half of the new cases have involved people known to have been in contact with Ebola patients, indicating health authorities still lack complete understanding of transmission chains. During the week, Guinea reported a total of 163 unsafe burials and a few instances of community resistance.

The 12 new confirmed cases in Sierra Leone marked an increase from the 9 reported a week earlier. As in Guinea, fewer than half of new cases involved individuals known to have been exposed to someone with the virus. In addition, there were three EVD-positive deaths that were identified in the community only after post-mortem testing. On a positive note, the country’s 1.8 million children began to return to school last week after a hiatus of more than eight months due to the Ebola outbreak.

Pease 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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