Reports Indicate Decline In New Ebola Cases

Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has reported that there has been a downward trend in new cases of Ebola, with just over 50 patients in eight management centres in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The development is promising but the organisation warns that a lack of vigilance at this point could jeopardise progress.
MSF director of operations Brice de le Vingne said that they are on the right track, but flagging new cases and tracing people who have been in contact with an infected person was still a hurdle.
"A single new case is enough to reignite an outbreak," he said.
"Until everyone who has come into contact with Ebola has been identified, we cannot rest easy."
The World Health Organisation reported that only about half of the new cases in both Guinea and Liberia are from known Ebola contacts, but there is no data available on Sierra Leone.
"With people moving frequently across borders, it is essential that surveillance teams based in each country collaborate immediately so that new cases are not imported into areas considered Ebola-free,” Mr de le Vingne said.
“This is a regional problem, not a country-specific one, but it is not being dealt with as such.”
Over the past two weeks reported cases of Ebola across Sierra Leone have dropped to be the lowest since August. Despite many remote rural areas like Kailahun district seeing improvements in the situation, many hotspots persist, including the capital Freetown. As of 24 January, Freetown's Prince of Wales centre has 30 patients - the majority of known cases across the three countries.
Guinea's case number has seen a steep decrease too, but 14 of the 33 prefectures that make up the country are still considered "active". New cases seem to be originating from areas of the country previously thought to be calm.
MSF emergency coordinator Henry Gray said health workers and survivors are stigmatised and people are still reluctant to seek care.
"Ebola treatment centres are often regarded with suspicion and fear," he said.
In Liberia, MSF Ebola management centre in Monrovia only has two cases. The country's public health system has been significantly damaged by the epidemic, shutting down many hospitals.