Lowest Cases of Ebola in One Year!

The week to the 2nd of August in Guinea and Sierra Leone heralded the continuum of the much awaited progress for well over a year, bringing within reach the year long goal to end the outbreak; although risks still remain.

Two cases of the Ebola Virus Disease were recorded in Guinea and Sierra Leone in the said week. The case from Guinea is that of a 28 year old woman who was lost to follow up and was part of a known chain of transmission. While the case from Sierra Leone is a close relative of the Tonkolili case.

The Tonkolili district of Sierra Leone remains a source of concern following the events that led to more than 500 people being placed in quarantine after a man died from EVD. More than 40 of the contacts under observation are considered high risk. Prior to this occurrence, the district had not recorded a new case for months. The victim contracted the disease in the capital - Freetown, after which he traveled to his village, and was later treated for fever and headache at two health facilities within a 2-4 day period. Authorities however failed to call the Ebola emergency number neither was he buried according to the protocol for victims of EVD.

The heavy August rains have made contact tracing and tight surveillance more challenging. 
These protocols are however extremely important in maintaining the current progress says the WHO Assistant-Director Bruce Aylward.
He furthermore went on to say that the progress is real and that, "It is a realistic goal to have transmission stopped this year."

The WHO and ally health bodies are prepared for the possibility of more infections in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The Guinean patient that reportedly was lost to follow up may have infected other people as she wandered across the border to get to a traditional healer.

Close to 2,000 contacts are being monitored in Guinea and Sierra Leone, where more cases may erupt. There have been no new cases of EVD in Liberia for more than 21 days. And also for the first time in a 3 week period, there were no health worker infections reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone.[WHO]