Liberia, Sierra Leone gain in Ebola crisis; Guinea struggles

ASSOCIATED PRESS  by Sarah DiLorenzo                                                               April 2, 2015      

(Scroll below for related Wall Street Journal story.)   

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When will the world's largest and longest Ebola outbreak end? The West African countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia both appear to be on steady paths to ending the epidemic. The wild card is Guinea, where Ebola hasn't burned as hot but remains stubbornly entrenched.

In this file photo dated Friday, March. 27, 2015, a usually busy street is deserted as Sierra Leone enters a three day country wide lockdown on movement of people due to the Ebola virus in the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone's 6 million people were told to stay home for three days, except for religious services, beginning Friday as the West African nation attempted a final push to rid itself of Ebola. (AP Photo/ Michael Duff, FILE)

Liberia's last Ebola patient died March 27; it is now counting down the 42 days it must wait to be declared free of Ebola. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone recorded no new infections Wednesday for the second time; on average, it has logged a handful each day in recent days.

A nationwide lockdown indicated there aren't hordes of hidden cases lurking there....

It's more difficult to discern a trend in Guinea. The World Health Organization has called the picture mixed after noting signs of improvement last week.

Doctors Without Borders added 10 new beds to its treatment center in the capital, Conakry, last week to handle more patients. About half of the Donka center's 50 beds were full as of Tuesday night, according to Raphael Delhalle, the group's field coordinator there.

The outbreak in Guinea has followed this undulating pattern for months and is likely to continue, Delhalle said.

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http://news.yahoo.com/liberia-sierra-leone-gain-ebola-crisis-guinea-struggles-113027127.html;_ylt=AwrBJSD2PB1Vk1gAfrDQtDMD

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WALL STREET JOURNAL                                                     April 2, 2025

Ebola proves persistent in Guinea where crisis started.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/ebola-proves-persistent-in-guinea-where-crisis-started-1427930613