WHO: West Africa Ebola epidemic could be over by year end

Baku. 5 August. REPORT.AZ/ A senior official of the World Health Organization says halting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa by the end of this year is a realistic and appropriate goal, Report informs referring to foreign media.

In the past four weeks, the World Health Organization reports cases of Ebola have dropped from 35 a week to two this week, one each in Sierra Leone and Guinea. But it cautions these numbers are likely to increase, as flare-ups of the disease are not uncommon.

The U.N. agency says the response to the epidemic has gotten much better. During the past few months, it says health workers have got a better grip on how to deal with chains of transmission.

WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward explains health workers have become much better in identifying people who are infected with the Ebola virus and in tracing all those who have come in contact with the patient. He says the number of cases of Ebola has gone down because fewer people who potentially could spread the disease are being missed. But he cautions against complacency, noting substantial risks from Ebola remain.