According to the WHO, three new confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) were reported in the week to 25 October, all of which were reported in Guinea. The country also reported 3 cases the previous week. All 3 new cases are from the same household in the subprefecture of Kaliah, Forecariah, and are registered high-risk contacts linked to a case from the same area last week. The WHO Ebola Situation Report indicates that there are currently 364 contacts under follow-up in Guinea (an increase from 246 the previous week), 141 of whom are high-risk. An additional 233 contacts identified during the past 42 days remain untraced. The report concludes that there remains a near-term risk of further cases among both registered and untraced contacts. Sierra Leone reported zero cases for a sixth consecutive week, and will be declared free of EVD transmission on 7 November if no further cases are reported.
According to the report, the 3 new confirmed cases reported in the week to 25 October are members of the same family and household in the village of Kondeyah, in the subprefecture of Kaliah, Forecariah. The cases are a 25-year-old woman who is 7-months pregnant, and her 10-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. All are currently receiving treatment. They are the seventh, eighth, and ninth cases in the Forecariah branch of the Ratoma transmission chain. The branch was initiated after a 10-year-old girl who was not a registered contact travelled from Ratoma to Forecariah to seek treatment from several traditional healers who later became ill and were confirmed as EVD-positive. Of 364 contacts under follow-up in Guinea on 25 October, 43 were located in Conakry with 321 located in Forecariah. The 3 new cases have generated 55 high-risk contacts in Kondeyah.
