The rate of new Ebola infections appears to be slowing in hard-hit Liberia, but the crisis is far from over, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
"It appears that the trend is real in Liberia and there may indeed be a slowing of the epidemic there," WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward told reporters in Geneva.
"There is increasing evidence that these countries can get on top of this," he said.
Aylward added, though, that he was "terrified that the information will be misinterpreted and that people will begin to think Ebola is under control."
"That is like thinking your pet tiger is under control," he warned, pointing out that the deadly outbreak had seemed to slow previously only to come back with more gusto.
Later on Wednesday, the WHO is set to publish the latest death toll from the Ebola outbreak that has been ravaging west Africa, with the number of deaths expected to pass the 5,000 mark. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been most affected.
Washington meanwhile ordered a 21-day quarantine for all US troops returning from west Africa, as controversy raged over the US government's attempts to prevent the spread of Ebola.
The move exposed a split between the US military and other government agencies, with civilian health workers subjected to less strict measures than American soldiers.
- 13,703 Ebola cases -
Aylward said that the number of Ebola cases had soared to 13,703 -- up from just over the 10,000 WH0 reported on Saturday -- but he stressed that the increase was mainly due to previously unreported cases being added to the statistics.
The vast majority of the deaths were reported in the three nations at the epicentre of the epidemic. Liberia counted 6,535 cases, Sierra Leone had 5,235 and Guinea, where the outbreak began late last year, counted 1,906 cases, he said.
Neighbouring Mali, where a two-year-old girl died from Ebola following a 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) bus ride from Guinea, had not yet detected any new infections, he added.
Aylward said data from a range of different sources -- including from funeral directors and from treatment centres reporting lower Ebola patient admission rates -- indicated a "downward trend" across much of Liberia.
A number of beds at Ebola treatment centres in the country were now empty, he said.
A rapid scaling up of information to the community about the deadly virus, contact tracing and implementation of safe burial practices had likely contributed to the positive trend seen in Liberia, Aylward said.
His cautious optimism on the situation in Liberia came a day after US President Barack Obama and the Red Cross offered hope that progress was being made in the battle against the killer virus.
The Red Cross said its workers were picking up little more than a third of the late September peak of more than 300 bodies a week in and around Monrovia -- an indication, it said, that the outbreak was retreating.
And Obama insisted the disease "will be defeated". He also stressed that science, not fear, should guide the response to the virus.
- US quarantines troops -
There has been growing condemnation of Washington's rush to quarantine people have come in contact with those suffering from the Ebola, amid fears such strict measures could dissuade much-needed healthcare workers and others from travelling to the affected region.
Only two people have been infected with the virus on US soil, and both have been declared cured.
Nonetheless, California announced a new 21-day quarantine for anyone travelling from Ebola-afflicted countries who has had contact with anyone afflicted with the disease. The move comes after similar measures were adopted in New Jersey and New York.
Also on Wednesday, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel ordered a three-week quarantine for all US troops returning from west Africa, calling it a "prudent" measure to prevent the spread of the virus.
The quarantine was introduced even though officials say the soldiers will be focused on building medical clinics or training and will have no contact with those infected with the virus.
Hagel said the measure was adopted partly because military families urged the quarantine.
There are now about 1,100 US troops in Liberia and Senegal, with plans to boost the force to as many as 4,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the WHO said its main priority was still to increase the number of treatment centres in west Africa.
Anthony Banbury, the head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), said more than 50 treatment centres were needed but only 33 had been set up.
The mission also faces challenges in deciding where to deploy its limited resources, he said at the office's Accra headquarters.
"We have to make sure though that the beds are placed at the right locations and that depends on good information on exactly where the disease is," Banbury said.
The rate of new Ebola infections appears to be slowing in hard-hit Liberia, but the crisis is far from over, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
“It appears that the trend is real in Liberia and there may indeed be a slowing of the epidemic there,” WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward told reporters in Geneva.
“There is increasing evidence that these countries can get on top of this,” he said.
Aylward added, though, that he was “terrified that the information will be misinterpreted and that people will begin to think Ebola is under control.”
“That is like thinking your pet tiger is under control,” he warned, pointing out that the deadly outbreak had seemed to slow previously only to come back with more gusto.
Later on Wednesday, the WHO is set to publish the latest death toll from the Ebola outbreak that has been ravaging west Africa, with the number of deaths expected to pass the 5,000 mark. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been most affected.
Washington meanwhile ordered a 21-day quarantine for all US troops returning from west Africa, as controversy raged over the US government’s attempts to prevent the spread of Ebola.
The move exposed a split between the US military and other government agencies, with civilian health workers subjected to less strict measures than American soldiers.
– 13,703 Ebola cases –
Aylward said that the number of Ebola cases had soared to 13,703 — up from just over the 10,000 WH0 reported on Saturday — but he stressed that the increase was mainly due to previously unreported cases being added to the statistics.
The vast majority of the deaths were reported in the three nations at the epicentre of the epidemic. Liberia counted 6,535 cases, Sierra Leone had 5,235 and Guinea, where the outbreak began late last year, counted 1,906 cases, he said.
Neighbouring Mali, where a two-year-old girl died from Ebola following a 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) bus ride from Guinea, had not yet detected any new infections, he added.
Aylward said data from a range of different sources — including from funeral directors and from treatment centres reporting lower Ebola patient admission rates — indicated a “downward trend” across much of Liberia.
A number of beds at Ebola treatment centres in the country were now empty, he said.
A rapid scaling up of information to the community about the deadly virus, contact tracing and implementation of safe burial practices had likely contributed to the positive trend seen in Liberia, Aylward said.
His cautious optimism on the situation in Liberia came a day after US President Barack Obama and the Red Cross offered hope that progress was being made in the battle against the killer virus.
The Red Cross said its workers were picking up little more than a third of the late September peak of more than 300 bodies a week in and around Monrovia — an indication, it said, that the outbreak was retreating.
And Obama insisted the disease “will be defeated”. He also stressed that science, not fear, should guide the response to the virus.
– US quarantines troops –
There has been growing condemnation of Washington’s rush to quarantine people have come in contact with those suffering from the Ebola, amid fears such strict measures could dissuade much-needed healthcare workers and others from travelling to the affected region.
Only two people have been infected with the virus on US soil, and both have been declared cured.
Nonetheless, California announced a new 21-day quarantine for anyone travelling from Ebola-afflicted countries who has had contact with anyone afflicted with the disease. The move comes after similar measures were adopted in New Jersey and New York.
Also on Wednesday, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel ordered a three-week quarantine for all US troops returning from west Africa, calling it a “prudent” measure to prevent the spread of the virus.
The quarantine was introduced even though officials say the soldiers will be focused on building medical clinics or training and will have no contact with those infected with the virus.
Hagel said the measure was adopted partly because military families urged the quarantine.
There are now about 1,100 US troops in Liberia and Senegal, with plans to boost the force to as many as 4,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the WHO said its main priority was still to increase the number of treatment centres in west Africa.
Anthony Banbury, the head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), said more than 50 treatment centres were needed but only 33 had been set up.
The mission also faces challenges in deciding where to deploy its limited resources, he said at the office’s Accra headquarters.
“We have to make sure though that the beds are placed at the right locations and that depends on good information on exactly where the disease is,” Banbury said.
