CENTER FOR INFECIOUS DISEASE AND POLICY  by Lisa Schnirring     July 22, 2015

The number of new Ebola cases in Guinea and Sierra Leone declined a bit last week, with much of the disease activity centered in the two capital cities for the second week in a row, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its weekly epidemiologic update today.

Tests confirmed 26 Ebola cases among the two countries, 22 in Guinea and 4 in Sierra Leone. The total is down from 30 reported the previous week, but progress against the disease has been stagnant over the past several weeks, hovering around 25 to 30 cases. Officials, however, said they saw more hopeful signs in contact tracing.

No new cases were reported in Liberia.

Overall, the total in the three countries has reached 27,705 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases, including 11,269 deaths, according to the WHO.

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http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2015/07/ebola-cases-ebb-bit-conakry-freetown-hot-spots

WHO:  Ebola Situation Report - 22 July 2015

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frontpageafricaonline.com - by Bettie K. Johnson / Monica Melton - July 20, 2015

Monrovia - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the worst affected countries from the 2014 to 2015 Ebola outbreak, the worse ever in the history of the virus. The three countries are currently struggling to reach to zero infection of the Ebola virus. The World Health Organization and health practitioners from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia gathered Monday to discuss infection prevention and control in all three countries. . . .

. . . The three day consultative meeting is expected to discuss the current status of IPC and WASH in health care facilities in each country describing the progress achieved so far during the response and transition phase. It will also share the strategic plans for the IPC and WASH improvement in the context of health systems recovery, for both the current early phase and the medium/term. The consultative meeting is sponsored by World Bank and Centers for Disease Control, among others.

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liberianewsagency.org - by Wellington G Patrick, LINA Nimba County Correspondent - July 20, 2015

SANNIQUELLIE, July 19 (LINA) - Following an emergency Ebola meeting, Nimba County has reorganized its Ebola Task Force with more focus on case finding and social mobilization to resist the recurrence of the Ebola virus in the county.

Making the disclosure in an interview with the Liberia News Agency in Sanniquellie recently, the Media Coordinator of the county’s Ebola Task Force, Paul K. Karnue, said the exercise is to reinforce the previous preventive measures carried out by the taskforce during the height of the disease in the country.

Karnue noted that the reoccurrence of Ebola in Margibi County as reported recently has frightened several citizens in Nimba, leading them to call for gthe strengthening of measures to avoid the recurrence of the virus in the county.

At the meeting, the stakeholders resolved that all citizens should report all dead bodies and strangers to the county health authorities, and restrict all cultural practices, including the bathing of dead bodies and sick people anywhere in the county.

http://www.liberianewsagency.org/pagesnews.php?nid=5403

The Ebola virus treatment center where four people are currently being treated is seen in Paynesville, Liberia, July 16, 2015. REUTERS/James Giahyue

af.reuters.com - July 17, 2015

MONROVIA (Reuters) - A herbalist who treated the 17-year-old boy who sparked Liberia's third wave of Ebola infections has escaped quarantine and fled to Nimba County in the north of the country near Guinea, officials said on Thursday.

He was one of 120 people placed under quarantine for coming into contact with the deceased.

"The herbalist evaded quarantine and is on the run, this is a reason we are putting everybody on alert," Paul Karnue, a spokesman for the Nimba local government said.

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