Headlines - Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa – Situation as of May 28, 2014

On March 22, 2014, the Guinean Ministry of Health notified the WHO of an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) linked to the Ebola virus, which had been ongoing since the beginning of the year in southeastern Guinea. The "Zaire" strain was confirmed shortly thereafter by the National Reference Center for VHF in Lyon. In addition, the Ministries of Health of Liberia and Sierra Leone also reported suspected cases in districts neighboring those affected in Guinea. The WHO’s report as of May 5, 2014, noted a total of 231 clinical cases in Guinea, including 127 biologically confirmed cases and 155 deaths, as well as 35 clinical cases in Liberia, including 6 confirmed cases and 11 deaths. The cases in Sierra Leone, where an outbreak of Lassa fever was ongoing, were not confirmed. While the outbreak had been subsiding since late April in five of the six initially identified hotspots in Guinea—including the capital, Conakry—it persists in the main hotspot of Guéckédou, and a new area has recently been affected 250 km north of the capital. The WHO’s tally as of May 28 reports 291 cases in Guinea, including 172 confirmed cases and 193 deaths. Furthermore, on May 25, 2014, health authorities in Sierra Leone notified the WHO for the first time of confirmed cases of HFV in the Kailahun district, located in eastern Sierra Leone, on the border with Guéckédou in Guinea and also with Liberia. As of May 29, 2014, a total of 34 new cases, including 7 confirmed cases and 5 deaths, were reported there.The risk of importation into Europe is regularly assessed by the WHO based on the evolving situation. It has concluded that the risk is low and, based on currently available information regarding this event, does not recommend that travel or trade restrictions be imposed on Guinea or Sierra Leone.