New cases of Ebola in Liberia is slowing down says WHO

Liberia has recorded declining rate of Ebola new cases since the outbreak began which is the epicenter of the epidemic, according to World Health Organization officials on Wednesday.

Bruce Aylward, the WHO’s assistant director-general in charge of the operational response, said during a news conference in Geneva that he is both cautiously optimistic and terrified about the news.

Aylward said the recent decline in new cases “is real” and is confirmed not only by the scores of empty beds in many clinics, but also by a decrease in laboratory confirmed cases and in burials. As recently as a week ago, local officials expressed alarm that the virus was spreading exponentially. But Aylward said it appears that strategies such as tracing and monitoring those who had come into contact with Ebola patients, the adoption of safe burial practices and an aggressive public awareness campaign were working.

WHO officials also released new numbers about spread of the disease globally. The health organization has confirmed 13,703 confirmed cases so far, up from 9,936 on Oct. 19.

Source: Washington Post