WHO: Guinea, Sierra Leone
see spike in Ebola cases
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[June 05, 2014]
DAKAR (Reuters) - At least
21 people died and 37 new cases of suspected Ebola were
recorded in Guinea between May 29 and June 1, the World
Health Organization said on Wednesday, undermining the
government's claims that the number of Ebola deaths was
slowing.
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The new figures take to 328 the number of cases linked to the
disease in Guinea, of which 193 have been confirmed by laboratory
tests. In total, 208 deaths have been linked to Ebola, making the
outbreak one of the deadliest for years.
More than half of the new deaths in Guinea were in the southern
region of Gueckedou, epicentre of the outbreak which began in
February, near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders.
The town is known for its weekly market which attracts traders from
the region as well as from neighbouring countries.
Sierra Leone recorded three confirmed and 10 suspected new cases
over the same period, WHO said, highlighting the threat of the
disease taking hold elsewhere in the region.
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A Guinean presidential spokesman was not immediately available for
comment and a health department spokesman declined to comment.
On April 24, Guinea's health ministry said in a statement that the
situation was "more and more under control thanks to measures taken
by the government and its partners".
There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever with a
fatality rate of up to 90 percent.
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WHO said it had deployed an extra five experts to the area to help
stop the disease spreading and that it was observing about 600
people in the country identified as having possible contact with
Ebola.
(Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Emma Farge and Louise Ireland)
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