UN: 2 new Ebola cases in Guinea show virus still spreading
In this undated colorized transmission electron micrograph file image made available by the CDC shows an Ebola virus virion. For the first time, Ebola has been discovered inside the eyes of a patient months after the virus was gone from his blood, according to a report published Wednesday Oct. 14, 2015, in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors have found Ebola can survive in some male survivors for up to nine months after they first get sick but aren't sure if that means they might still be infectious, according to the new research published Wednesday. (Frederick Murphy/CDC via AP, File)
The World Health Organization says there were two new cases of Ebola in Guinea this week, ending two consecutive weeks in West Africa when no cases of the devastating disease were reported.
The two new patients were not previously identified contacts being tracked by health authorities, suggesting that officials are still unable to monitor everyone exposed to Ebola. WHO spokeswoman Dr. Margaret Harris said Friday the U.N. health agency had expected to see more cases despite the recent lull in the epidemic. She added the cases were in areas where scientists knew Ebola was spreading.
In an update this week, WHO said there was a "near-term risk of further cases among both registered and untraced contacts."
To date, Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.
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UN: 2 new Ebola cases in Guinea show virus still spreading (2015, October 16)
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