Ebola spreading nine times faster in Sierra Leone
Ebola is spreading up to nine times faster in parts of Sierra Leone than it was two months ago, according to a new report from health specialists.
On average, 12 new cases a day were seen in the rural areas surrounding Freetown in late October, nine times more than the 1.3 cases seen in early September.
Transmission was also increasing rapidly in Freetown, with the average number of daily cases six times higher than two months ago.
"Whilst new cases appear to have slowed in Liberia, Ebola is continuing to spread frighteningly quickly in parts of Sierra Leone," the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) report said on Sunday.
The analysis was based on three-day averages of new cases recorded by Sierra Leone's health ministry.
More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-0...-leone/5861944
NC: Duke Hospital Monitoring Patient
Posted 9:08 p.m. yesterday
Updated 8 minutes ago
Excerpts:
Durham, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is monitoring a patient at Duke University Hospital in Durham who traveled from Liberia and has developed a fever.
State health officials said Sunday night that the patient departed Liberia and arrived Friday at Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport, had no symptoms upon arrival and had no known exposure to Ebola while in Liberia.
The patient, whose age and gender were not released, took a bus from New Jersey to Durham County, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Megan Davies. He or she arrived in Person County on Saturday and developed a fever on Sunday.
Davies said the patient self-monitored and called the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the onset of fever. The CDC immediately called the state Division of Public Health.
The person was transferred in a specialized EMS vehicle – with staffers wearing protective gear – to Duke University Hospital “using the appropriate health and safety protocols,” officials said.
Results are expected early Monday morning.
Davies said if the test is negative for Ebola, the person would be held in isolation for 72 hours while the test is repeated for confirmation.
http://www.wral.com/patient-at-duke-...bola/14141848/