Situation Report

FORBES                 September 23, 2014

By David Kroll

The Health Minister of Nigeria says that his country is completely free of active Ebola cases and has released the final victim contacts from surveillance.

In a telephone interview last night where he was preparing for a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu, MD, said, “Presently, there is no single case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria – none.”

Dr. Chukwu provided further details, saying, “No cases are under treatment, no suspected cases. There are no contacts in Lagos that are still under surveillance, having completed a minimum of 21 days of observation.

Link to full story follows:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2014/09/23/nigeria-free-of-ebola-as-final-surveillance-contacts-are-released/

NEWS24    September 23, 2014

Cape Town – At least 98 people reportedly have been placed under Ebola quarantine in Harare, as Zimbabwe takes steps to strictly monitor visitors coming into the country.

This comes as fears continue to grow that the deadly Ebola virus might spread beyond West Africa where the epidemic has killed 2 800 people.

According to News Day, out of the 98 people who have been quarantined, 84 were coming from Nigeria.

Link to complete story.

http://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/At-least-98-under-Ebola-quarantine-in-Harare-20140923

By Debora MacKenzie - 23 Sep 2014 - newscientist.com

This article appeared in print under the headline "World wakes up to true threat of Ebola"

Only decisive action can stop the virus becoming entrenched in Africa and spreading elsewhere, say epidemiologists.

The world has finally got serious about Ebola. In a first for a public health threat, the United Nations has launched the kind of response it normally reserves for war zones. Meanwhile, the US, UK and France are sending troops to build treatment units, train health workers and keep order.

It's not a moment too soon: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that without a massive effort to slow the epidemic, a million people in West Africa could have Ebola by January. Some will carry it elsewhere, and the virus may circulate non-stop in Africa for the foreseeable future.

REUTERS

An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been largely contained in Senegal and Nigeria, the World Health Organization said on Monday, but the disease is still spreading elsewhere and has now killed over 2,811 people in the region.