Wednesday, November 19, 2014

WHO Ebola Situation Report – Nov 19th

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# 9345

 

The World Health Organization has released their latest Ebola Roadmap Update.  I’ve reproduced the summary and the latest on infected health care workers below, but follow the link to read (or download) the entire document.

 

 

Ebola response roadmap - Situation report

19 November 2014

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Summary

A total of 15 145 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported in six affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain and the United States of America) and two previously affected countries (Nigeria and Senegal) up to the end of 16 November. There have been 5420 reported deaths. Cases and deaths continue to be under-reported in this outbreak.

In the three countries with widespread and intense transmission, reported case incidence is no longer increasing nationally in Guinea and Liberia, but is still increasing in Sierra Leone. The outbreaks in Guinea and Liberia now appear to be driven by intense transmission in several key districts, whereas transmission is intense throughout the north and west of Sierra Leone. The number of new cases is highest in N’Zerekore in Guinea; Montserrado in Liberia; and in the western and northern areas of Sierra Leone, particularly the capital, Freetown, and nearby Port Loko. Lofa in Liberia, and Kenema and Kailahun in Sierra Leone have now reported no or a very low number of new cases for several weeks.

In Mali, there have been 6 reported confirmed and probable cases, and 5 deaths. The most recent cases have occurred in the Malian capital Bamako, and are not related to the country’s first EVD-positive patient, who died on 24 October. All identified contacts connected with this initial case have now completed 21-day follow-up. 

The response to the EVD outbreak continues to evolve in the three most affected countries. Over 1000 beds are now operational in 18 Ebola Treatment Centres. As this number increases, so does the capacity to isolate patients and prevent further transmission of the disease. The capacity to conduct burials in a safe and dignified manner of patients who have died from EVD is a crucial part of halting EVD transmission. More than 4800 safe and dignified burials have taken place since the outbreak began. Accurate, timely laboratory diagnosis of EVD cases is also an integral part of the response. Samples from all 53 EVD-affected districts of the three most-affected countries can be transported to a laboratory for testing within 24 hours of sample collection.

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Health-care workers

A total of 584 health-care workers (HCWs) are known to have been infected with EVD up to the end of 16 November, 329 of whom have died (table 6). This includes 2 HCWs in Mali (1 of whom died), 11 HCWs infected in Nigeria, 1 HCW infected in Spain while treating an EVD-positive patient, and 3 HCWs in the US (including a HCW infected in Guinea, and 2 HCWs infected during the care of a patient in Texas). In the week to 16 November, 8 HCWs were reported infected in Liberia, and 3 in Sierra Leone. However, the cases in Liberia are unlikely to have occurred during the past week, and are instead likely to represent cases whose onset went unreported over the course of previous weeks.

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