Headlines

Ebola: A First Sign of HopeThe World Health Organization (WHO) reported on January 15 that the number of new Ebola cases reported this week in Guinea (42), Liberia (8), and Sierra Leone (184, including 59 in the city of Freetown) was at its lowest level since last August: the number of new cases reported is showing a “real decline” and constitutes a “first sign of hope,” the WHO stated. The three affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) are reporting new cases distributed very unevenly across districts. Sierra Leone remains the hardest-hit country, although the number of new cases per week has been falling sharply for the past four weeks. Transmission is still active in the three capitals, Conakry, Freetown, and Monrovia. Outside this area, the outbreak appears to be under control:

• In late July 2014, Nigerian health authorities reported the first probable case (a deceased patient from Liberia), and in early August, secondary transmission was observed. The end of the outbreak was declared on October 19, 2014, by the WHO (20 cases and 8 deaths were reported).

• In late August, Senegal reported its first confirmed case, imported from Guinea. Investigations identified approximately 60 contacts, who were monitored for 21 days. There was no secondary transmission. The end of the outbreak was declared on October 17, 2014.

• In Mali, local transmission has been reported since November 2014 in the capital, Bamako, resulting in 8 cases and 6 deaths. As no new cases have been reported since November 25, the end of the outbreak was announced on January 18, 2015.

On January 20, 2015, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee declared that the Ebola virus outbreak affecting three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern for the next three months.