As the number of confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the three West African countries with “widespread and intense transmission” gets closer to the 18,000 mark, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that Sierra Leone itself recorded 3 times as many as Guinea and Liberia combined.

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under a very-high magnification, this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a single filamentous Ebola virus particle that had budded from the surface of a VERO cell of the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line.
Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under a very-high magnification, this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a single filamentous Ebola virus particle that had budded from the surface of a VERO cell of the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line.

A total of 17,908 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD and 6,373 deaths have been reported up to the end of 7 December 2014 by the Ministries of Health of Guinea and Sierra Leone, and 3 December by the Ministry of Health of Liberia.

Sierra Leone, the hotspot in West Africa, saw 397 new confirmed cases reported in the week to 7 December bringing that countries total to 7,897 cases and 1,768 deaths.

The worst affected area remains the capital, Freetown, which reported one-third (133) of all new confirmed cases.

In Liberia, the case incidence has decreased over the past 4 weeks, with 5 districts (counties) reporting new cases in the 3 days to 3 December. A total of 29 confirmed cases were reported in the 3 days to 3 December.

In Guinea, a total of 103 new confirmed and probable cases were reported nationally during the week to 7 December.

In other news, the United Nations Wednesday congratulated the front line workers in the field battling Ebola on their well-deserved recognition as Time “Person of the Year”.