Research and analysis

HPR volume 9 issue 43: news (4 December)

Updated 29 December 2015

1. Ebola virus disease: international epidemiological summary (at 29 November 2015)

As of 29 November 2015, a total of 28,637 clinically compatible cases of Ebola virus disease (15,249 confirmed) have been reported associated with the West African outbreak, of which 11,315 have died.

A total of three confirmed cases were reported in West Africa in November, all in Liberia. These are the first cases to be reported in the country since it was declared EVD transmission free for the second time on 3 September 2015.

The first case in the Liberia cluster, a 15-year-old boy in Monrovia, was reported on 19 November after his admission to a health facility. His father and eight-year-old brother were confirmed as EVD-positive a day later. The 15-year-old died on 23 November. Following treatment, his father and brother were discharged from hospital on 3 December following two negative blood tests for EVD. Investigations are ongoing into the origin of infection and over 165 contacts remain under follow up (34 considered high risk).

Number of new confirmed cases reported per week (23 November to 29 November 2015) in affected countries in West Africa. (Data source: WHO Ebola Situation Report 2 December 2015)

There have been no confirmed cases reported in Guinea for four consecutive weeks. The country’s last case, a one-month-old baby born in an Ebola treatment unit to a confirmed case, was discharged from hospital on 28 November after blood samples tested negative for the second time on 16 November.

On 7 November, Sierra Leone was declared EVD-transmission free following the elapse of two EVD incubation periods (42 days) since the last case had a second negative blood test. The country then began a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance which will run until 5 February 2016.

A UK survivor of EVD, re-hospitalised in early October due to late EVD-related complications, was discharged from the Royal Free Hospital in London on 11 November after making a full recovery from EVD.

Further information on the epidemiological situation can be found in PHE’s weekly Ebola epidemiological update and from the Ebola Outbreak Distribution Map.

2. Infection reports in this issue of HPR

A summary report on the uptake and test results of antenatal screening for hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and rubella susceptibility in 2014 in England is published in the infections reports section of this issue of HPR [1]. The latest data show that uptake of antenatal screening for all infections remains high (>95%) and the proportion of women with a positive test result for either hepatitis B, HIV or syphilis remains stable, whilst the proportion of women with a rubella antibody level <10 IU/ml has continued to increase. Associated data tables are published in the GOV.UK website [2].

The programme of antenatal screening for infectious diseases is a vital component of antenatal care and continues to play a key role in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis. The data is collated by the National Antenatal Infection Screening Monitoring (NAISM) Programme in collaboration with the Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy Screening (IDPS) Programme, now both part of Public Health England.

Latest reports on laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections in England for the weeks 45 to 48 of 2015 are also included in this issue [3].

2.1 References

1. Antenatal screening for infectious diseases in England: summary report for 2014, HPR 9(43): HIV-STIs.
2. NAISM annual data tables webpages.
3. Laboratory reports of respiratory infections made to PHE from PHE and NHS laboratories in England and Wales: weeks 45 to 48, 2015, HPR 9(43): respiratory infections.