New Ebola Case in Sierra Leone; WHO Continues to Stress Risk of More Flare-ups

A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Sierra Leone, reflecting the ongoing risk of new flare-ups of the virus in affected countries.

The Sierra Leone government acted rapidly to respond to this new case. Through the country’s new emergency operations center, a joint team of local authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are investigating the origin of the case, identifying contacts and initiating control measures to prevent further transmission.

WHO stressed in a statement on Jan. 14, 2016 that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks of Ebola in the coming months due to the virus persisting in survivors after recovery.

"We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” says Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO’s special representative for the Ebola Response, yesterday. “We still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them.”

Sierra Leone is still in a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance following the declaration on Nov. 7, 2015 of the end of Ebola transmission in the country. This period is designed to ensure no hidden chains of transmission have been missed and to detect any new flare-ups of the disease.

Source: WHO