Highlights

• The WHO reports a total of 20,664 cases (suspected, probable, and confirmed) and 8,159 deaths in the four currently affected countries in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali).

• The three most affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) are reporting new cases distributed very unevenly across districts. Transmission remains most intense in Sierra Leone, with 337 new confirmed cases. In Liberia, the number of new cases has been declining nationwide since mid-November. In Guinea, the number of new cases is 114 (over the previous 8 weeks, 75 to 156 new confirmed cases per week were reported). Transmission remains active in the three capitals—Conakry, Freetown, and Monrovia.

• In the three most affected countries, the WHO estimates the case fatality rate at 71% among Ebola cases for which the final clinical outcome is known.

• In Mali, where local transmission has been reported for the past 5 weeks in the capital, Bamako, the toll stands at 8 cases and 6 deaths. No new cases have been reported since November 25. From January 3 to 9, 2015, the religious festival of Maouloud is celebrated: many worshippers from regions of Mali and neighboring countries participate. This event poses a significant risk for the reintroduction of Ebola in Mali, particularly in Bamako.

• In the United Kingdom, the first case was confirmed on December 29 in a healthcare worker returning from Sierra Leone.