Ebola crisis: Infections 'slowing in Liberia'

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there has been a decline in the spread of Ebola in Liberia, the country hardest hit in the outbreak.

The WHO's Bruce Aylward said it was confident the response to the virus was now gaining the upper hand.

But he warned against any suggestion that the crisis was over.

He said the new number of cases globally was 13,703 and that the death toll, to be published later on Wednesday, would probably pass 5,000.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29822303

[valerief]

1. Great news! nt

[Avalux]

2. Excellent news!

I know the end-timers were hoping for a full-blown Ebola pandemic, sorry to disappoint them. Light at the end of the tunnel!

[City Lights]

3. Great to hear this!

Hope it continues this way.

[Yo_Mama]

4. Well over 3,000 new cases in a week!!! That's not gaining the upper hand.

Not at all. I hope these numbers are wrong, but it's not good news.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Due to new reporting of old cases:

"We need to be careful here. This thing hasn't dropped off the cliff like that. We're seeing a reversal of that rapid rate of increase to the point that there seems to be a decline right now."

He said there had been 13,703 cases in eight countries and the reported death toll, to be published later on Wednesday, was likely to be over 5,000. A jump of more than 3,000 in the number of cases since Saturday was largely due to the data being updated with old cases rather than new cases, he said.

Aylward said he would be "terrified" if wrong conclusions were read into his statement and Ebola was thought to be under control. "It's like saying your pet tiger is under control."

But he said that if current trends continued, the worst hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone should be able to "comfortably" meet a target to scale up Ebola-containment measures by Dec. 1.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/10/29/us-health-ebola-who-idUKKBN0II1J220141029