In spite of the ongoing efforts to fight the spread of the infection, Ebola continues to kill people especially in three Western African nations, namely, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.
According to World Health Organization, the number of deaths has already climbed to more than 5,000 as of Monday, November 10. Mali reported new deaths, including an imam and a 25-year-old nurse. One of its earliest cases involved a two-year-old girl who was taken by a relative, crossing the border from Guinea.
Senegal and Nigeria, meanwhile, were already declared Ebola free after there were no other reported cases over a 21-day period since the last incidence. The United States also doesn't have any new cases. The last person to be infected with the virus, Dr. Craig Spencer, has been released from the hospital early this week.
Although West Africa has been badly hit by the outbreak since early this year, Guinea and Liberia tallied lower cases over the past few weeks, which may suggest slowing down.
Sierra Leone, however, remains critical with more than 400 new cases reported a week before. Koinadugu, one of the largest districts in the country and once praised by WHO and other health organizations for its ability to avoid any infection cases for a very long time, recently reported 50 new patients since middle of October. The virus also continues to affect Freetown, the country's capital, and Kambia.
In Guinea, Ebola outbreak is rampant in Macenta while a city near Mali, Siguiri, is also being seriously monitored.
The Ebola outbreak posed many challenges especially for these West African nations that already have poor infrastructure and health care to begin with. People on the ground are also struggling keeping up with the need. Less than half of needed treatment centers are currently in operation across these three countries. They also require extensive manpower as less than 200 teams are currently in the danger zone.