WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a U.N. briefing in Geneva
that one case was in Forecariah, western Guinea, and appeared to
be linked to a previously known chain of infection, while the
other was in the capital Conakry.
Ebola transmission is considered to be over once a locality has
gone 42 days without a new case of the disease. The other two
countries that were worst hit by the epidemic were Liberia,
which was declared transmission free on Sept. 3, and Sierra
Leone, which is counting down another 22 days until it is clear.
The worst outbreak on record has been largely stopped in its
tracks after killing more than 11,000 people.
But the WHO has repeatedly warned against prematurely assuming
the outbreak is over because the virus could pop up again until
the 42 days are over.
"On the bumpy road we keep talking about, the high risk of
recurrence, once again we are navigating a few bumps," Harris
said. "Of course we didn't want it, but we did expect it. Guinea
hadn't got to the stage where we were looking at 42 days."
Even after that period, Ebola may lurk in the population. This
month a study showed the semen of male survivors can harbour the
virus for nine months, while a British nurse has fallen
critically ill again 10 months after recovering from Ebola.
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