Attachments
1 . The present letter on the work of the United Nations in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa covers developments from 1 March to 1 April 2015, the 180-day mark since the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). It records activities carried out by my Special Envoy on Ebola and UNMEER and provides an update on progress made in the Ebola response pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/1 since my update of 13 March 2015 (A/69/812).
Current situation of the Ebola outbreak
2 . As at 31 March 2015, a total of 25,449 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola had been reported in three currently affected countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) and in six previously affected countries (Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America). A cumulative total of 10,498 confirmed, probable and suspected deaths have been reported.
3 . In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, there was a marked decline in the weekly confirmed case incidence, from almost 500 cases per week in December to fewer than 100 cases per week by late January. Since then, incidence has fluctuated between 70 and 160 cases per week in the region. In March, the weekly case incidence in Guinea fluctuated between 45 and 95 cases with no discernible trend; however, the incidence in Sierra Leone has steadily declined since late February, from 81 to 25 cases reported in the week ending 29 March.
4 . The geographical area of active transmission has also narrowed significantly since January 2015. Whereas 27 districts reported at least one confirmed case in January, 16 districts reported a case in March, with almost all transmission now taking place in a coastal arc in and around Conakry and Freetown. In March, the western préfectures of Conakry, Coyah and Forécariah accounted for 89 per cent of confirmed cases in Guinea. Siguiri, a préfecture in northeastern Guinea reported two confirmed cases on 26 March after not having reported a case for nearly two months. In Sierra Leone, Freetown and the nearby districts of Bombali, Kambia, Port Loko and Western Rural accounted for 98 per cent of all confirmed cases in March. Seven of 14 districts have not reported a confirmed case in the past 21 days.