GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 29 (UPI) — The World Health Organization announced Thursday the spread of Ebola in West Africa appears to be on the decline but stressed that more work remains to be done to end the outbreak.
“The epidemic has turned, and we are now beginning to see an overall decline in the number of new cases,” said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the special representative and head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
Between Jan. 18 and Jan 29, WHO recorded less than 99 confirmed cases, marking a decrease from the 145 cases reported the week before. The number of Ebola cases has declined in Liberia and Sierra Leone, although Guinea showed a slight increase.
With this news, the Geneva-based health organization will begin to shift its mission from preventing the spread of Ebola to eradicating the disease. That task, cautioned Ould Cheikh Ahmed, “still requires significant additional efforts.”
The United Nations has appealed for an additional $1 billion to fund the Ebola response through June.
Meanwhile, University of California Davis Medical Center is treating a patient with “symptoms consistent with Ebola infection.” A spokesman for the hospital told FOX40 that a patient must have a travel history in the countries where Ebola is active in order for the hospital to activate its Ebola response team.
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