Thursday, 15 January 2015

EBOLA: An end in sight for Liberians?


Liberians may soon breathe a sigh of relief as it seems there might be an end to the scourge of the deadly Ebola Virus.
CNN reports that according to a new model appearing in the latest issue of the scientific journal PLOS, Ebola could be contained in Liberia between March and June of this year with a rapid decline in new cases following June 2015.
The authors of the paper however caution that "continuing on the path to elimination will require sustained watchfulness and individual willingness to be treated," and this hopeful news is only possible if the current rate of hospitalisation continues and the same careful protocols are followed both in the hospitals and out in the community.
Liberia, along with Guinea and Sierra Leone is one of the three countries hit hardest by this epidemic and was labeled a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the latest figures from WHO, there have been at least 8,331 Ebola cases involving Liberian citizens and 3,538 deaths since the start of the epidemic.
WHO officials however confirm that the number of cases in Liberia has been slowing significantly recently, halving every three weeks on average.

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