Nigeria and Senegal now free of Ebola, averting potential urban crisis

Nigeria and Senegal have officially been declared Ebola-free, according to the World Health Organization.

In Nigeria, there were 20 cases of Ebola and eight deaths, with the last case testing negative on Sept. 8. Nigeria represents a remarkable success story for containment of the disease, after cases were confirmed in Lagos, Africa’s largest city, the WHO said. With a population of 21 million, nearly the combined population of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, and a large number of people living in slums, an outbreak in Lagos could have been catastrophic. But 100% of contacts in Lagos were reached and monitored, along with 99.8% of contacts in Port Harcourt, an important oil city and the second potential flash point. Nigeria was declared to be free of Ebola Oct. 20.

On Sept. 5, the man who was Senegal’s lone Ebola case tested negative for the disease, and after 42 days, no additional cases were reported in any of the monitored contacts, so on Oct. 17, the WHO officiallydeclaredSenegal Ebola free.

However, the outbreak continues to worsen in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, with more than 9,900 cases and nearly 4,900 confirmed Ebola-related deaths as of Oct. 13. With more than 4,650 reported cases and more than 2,700 deaths, Liberia remains the hardest hit of the three nations. Sierra Leone has more than 3,700 cases and more than 1,250 deaths, and Guinea has reported nearly 1,550 cases and more than 900 deaths, the WHO reports.

No additional cases have been reported in the United States or in Spain, the other two countries with local transmission. Spain has had one case with no deaths, and the United States has had three cases with one death. On Oct. 21, the patient in Spain tested negative for the disease, and if no new cases appear, Spain will be declared free of Ebola 42 days later, according to the WHO.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo also seems to be under control, after extensive laboratory tests, 68 cases of Ebola have been confirmed with 49 deaths. The last confirmed case was isolated on Oct. 4, according to the WHO. More than 850 people have completed a 21-day follow-up, and about 270 are still being monitored. The outbreak in that country is unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa, according to the CDC.

[DW] 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa: Case counts as of Oct. 22

lfranki@frontlinemedcom.com