Mali reports Ebola death

The Ebola epidemic continues to worsen in West Africa, and in the past week initial cases have been reported in new areas, according to the World Health Organization.

Mali has become the sixth African nation to report localized Ebola transmission, though the outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal have both been declared over, the WHO reported.

Ebola outbreak in West Africa: Case counts as of Oct. 29

The case in Mali involved a 2-year-old girl who died on Oct. 24 after traveling from Guinea; a total of 82 of her contacts are being monitored. In the United States, a health care worker in New York City developed symptoms on Oct. 23, while the two health care workers who contracted the disease in Dallas are both negative for Ebola and have been released from the hospital. Nearly half of 176 potential contacts have completed a 21-day follow-up, with 92 still being monitored.

Overall, just under 13,700 cases of Ebola have been reported, with nearly 5,000 deaths in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone as of Oct. 29, the WHO reported, noting that the jump of nearly 4,000 cases represents “a more comprehensive assessment of patient databases,” and that the cases “have occurred throughout the epidemic period, not only since October 22.”

Nearly half of those cases have been in Liberia, which now has over 6,500 cases and over 2,400 reported deaths. Guinea has reported about 1,900 cases and just under 1,000 deaths. Sierra Leone has had over 5,200 cases and 1,500 reported deaths. Data are missing for Sierra Leone for Oct. 23 and for Liberia for Oct. 19-21, 26, and 27, the WHO said.

The single Ebola patient in Spain tested negative for the disease on Oct. 21, and if no additional cases are reported Spain will be Ebola-free 42 days from that date. The unrelated Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo also seems to have come to an end, with the last case testing negative on Oct. 8, 18 days prior to the last report published on Oct. 26.

lfranki@frontlinemedcom.com