West Africa Ebola cases eclipse 400, MSF to set up treatment center in Sierra Leone
The number of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases reported in West Africa continues to climb with cases being reported in Boffa on Guinea’s coast to Telimele in Kindia region. New patients have also been registered in Conakry, Gueckedou and Macenta.
Image/CDC
During the last days of May, Guinea recorded 37 new cases and 21 new deaths in five districts. The cumulative number of cases and deaths attributable to EVD in Guinea is now 328 (laboratory confirmed 193, probable 80, and suspected 55) including 208 deaths, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) update today.
During the same period, 13 new cases were reported in Sierra Leone. The total number of cases is now up to 79 (18 confirmed, 3 probable, and 58 suspected), including 6 deaths. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.
In addition, one suspected case from nearby Kailahun, Sierra Leone died in Foya, Liberia. The dead body was taken back to Kailahun for burial. Eleven contacts were identified and are being followed up.
The outbreak in Sierra Leone has prompted Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to soon set up a treatment center in Koindu, the epicenter of the epidemic in Sierra Leone and the fifth Ebola treatment center in West Africa.
MSF notes the rise in cases may be due to a reluctance on the part of patients to go to hospital. The movement of infected people and cadavers is also a major issue. Families frequently transport dead bodies themselves in order to organise funerals other towns. The multiplication of affected areas makes it difficult to treat patients and control the epidemic. “The main challenges we face on the ground are resistance within communities and follow-up with of people who have crossed borders and may be infected.”
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