Recent Outbreaks: Ebola Update
According to data submitted to the WHO, a total of 8997 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported in seven affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, and the United States of America) up to the end of 12 October. There have been 4493 deaths.
In the 3 West African countries where transmission is intense, the numbers are 8,973 cases and 4,484 deaths.
Concerning Liberia, there is missing data for Liberia reflecting the challenging nature of data gathering in countries with widespread and intense EVD transmission.
These challenges remain particularly acute in Liberia, where there continues to be a mismatch between the relatively low numbers of new cases reported through official clinical surveillance systems on one hand, and reports from laboratory staff and first responders of large numbers of new cases on the other.
In Guinea, a spike in cases has been reported in the capital of Conakry. Significant under-reporting of cases is occurring in Monrovia, Liberia and intense transmission is occurring in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The number of health care workers has increased to 427 with 236 fatalities. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Related: Ebola outbreaks in Nigeria, Senegal almost officially over, WHO estimates 10,000 cases a week coming in West Africa
Second Nurse Infected with Ebola on Flight before Confirmed diagnosis in USA
A second Texas nurse who has tested positive for Ebola was on a commercial jetliner from Cleveland to Dallas the night before she arrived at the hospital with a fever and was later diagnosed with the deadly virus, officials said today. The nurse, who has been identified as nurse Amber Vinson, was part of the team at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who took care of Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died of Ebola on Oct. 8. She is the second member of the hospital staff to contract the virus and a Dallas official warned today that additional cases among the hospital's health care workers is a "very real possibility." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reaching out to the 132 passengers who flew with the woman on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 on Monday evening, landing in Dallas at 8:16 p.m. Although according to crew members the health care worker had no symptoms during the flight, the CDC is identifying and notifying passengers because she arrived at the hospital with a fever the following morning.
