Ebola cases rise, expand in Guinea, Sierra Leone

Thursday, May 21, 2015
By Paul Martin

Lisa Schnirring
CIDRAP News
May 20, 2015

Continued unsafe burials are largely fueling Ebola flare-ups in Guinea and Sierra Leone, where 35 cases were reported last week, just days after the countries had seen their lowest weekly case tallies of the year, according to outbreak updates today.

The geographic range of cases also expanded amid the rise in cases, which the World Health Organization (WHO) today said was substantial. The number of new cases reflects the region’s highest weekly total in the past month.

Top outbreak response officials have warned that the end of the outbreak could be long and bumpy, and the WHO hinted last week that response indicators in Guinea were shaky and that cases might increase and expand in the weeks ahead. Guinea has had several flare-ups and declines over the course of the outbreak.

Overall, the WHO said the outbreak total in the affected region has reached 26,933 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases, including 11,120 deaths.

Ramped-up response in Guinea
The developments triggered an urgent mission to Guinea yesterday by response partners, amid fears that the spike in cases could spread to neighboring countries, especially Guinea-Bissau, which borders Guinea’s Boke district in the northwestern part of the country, one of the newly emerging hot spots, according to a statement today from the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).

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