In a press briefing in Geneva, Glenn Thomas, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), confirmed the spread of cholera to an additional two districts of the West African country, noting that since the beginning of 2012, there had been 11,189 reported cases and 203 deaths due to the outbreak.

Thomas told reporters that the WHO was supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in the areas of epidemiology and social mobilization and had sent three cholera experts form its regional office to respond to the deteriorating crisis.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the bacterium known as vibrio cholerae. The disease has a short incubation period and produces a toxin that causes continuous watery diarrhoea, a condition that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not administered promptly. Vomiting also occurs in most patients.

In his briefing, Thomas also provided an update on the outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a total of 15 cases of viral contamination, including nine deaths, have been reported.

He said that the WHO was supporting the DRC Ministry of Health in conducting a series of epidemiological investigations as well as surveillance, public information and social mobilization initiatives.

Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes, and it has an incubation period of two to 21 days.

Sufferers can experience fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus leads to both external and internal bleeding. The most recent outbreak happened last month in Uganda with a total of 20 cases, including 14 deaths, reported across the western part of the country.

In its briefing, the WHO added that it did not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to the DRC because of the outbreak.

Laboratory results have confirmed that the last case of the wild poliovirus was a 14 month old child from Uige Province in the African country’s north-west in July 2011, following years of concerted efforts by the Government and its partners to halt the outbreak, which had spread to neighbouring countries, according to a joint press release from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Angola.

“This success is the result of the improvement in the quality of polio campaigns round after round,” said the acting WHO Representative in Angola, Jean-Marie Yameogo, who also credited the “high commitment” of Government officials at all levels and the engagement of civil society.

Other factors included improved surveillance of the disease, improved routine immunization and the coordination of efforts in neighbouring countries, along with greater access of populations to safe water and sanitation, according to the joint release.

Primarily funded by the Government, the country’s massive vaccination campaigns deployed thousands of health workers and volunteers door to door and at crossing points, main streets, markets and water points, reaching 95 per cent of children under the age of five.

The decline of new cases from 33 in 2010 to five in 2011, with none as yet in 2012, is significant, UNICEF’s Representative for Angola, Koenrad Vanormelingen, noted, while also warning against complacency.

“These investments demonstrate the importance of building strong primary health care for all the country’s children,” he said. “We have a duty to protect and ensure that all children are born and developed in a healthy polio-free environment, which means we can not stop until every child is fully vaccinated.”

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative – spearheaded by the WHO, UNICEF and a host of national, multilateral and private sector partners – has overseen a 99 per cent reduction of polio cases since its launch in 1988, with only three countries still endemic – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Also WHO reported that no new cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been reported over the past four days in Uganda, as a team of experts from the health agency and its partners continues to support the Government’s response to an outbreak in the western part of the country.

As of 8 August, a total of 23 probable and confirmed cases had been recorded, including 16 deaths, WHO stated in an update on the situation.

All people who came into contact with probable and confirmed cases of Ebola are being followed-up for a period of 21 days, the agency added, with 190 having completed 21 days of close monitoring, while 185 are still being closely monitored for any possible sign of illness.

Uganda has previously experienced outbreaks of Ebola, which can in severe cases lead to internal bleeding and is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or animals, but the most recent outbreak was declared over in early 2008.

Over the weekend, Uganda’s Ministry of Health notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Kibaale district. A total of 20 cases, including 14 deaths have been reported since the beginning of July.

“A team of experts from the Ministry of Health, WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in Kibaale to support the response operations,” WHO said in a news release.

“All possible contacts that were exposed to the suspected and confirmed cases since 6 July 2012 are being identified for active follow up,” the agency added. “The necessary supplies and logistics required for supportive management of patients are being mobilized.”

The initial case was identified in a family from the village of Nyanswiga, where nine of the deaths were recorded. The deceased include a clinical officer who attended to a patient, and her four month-old child. Nine of the 14 deaths have occurred in a single household, according to WHO.

Currently, two patients are hospitalized and are in stable condition. Both cases were admitted to hospital with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. However, neither of the cases has so far shown bleeding, a symptom that often appears in viral haemorrhagic fever patients.

Uganda has previously experienced outbreaks of Ebola fever, but the most recent outbreak was declared over in early 2008.

The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes, and it has an incubation period of two to 21 days.

Sufferers can experience fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus leads to both external and internal bleeding.

In its news release, WHO added that it does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions are applied to Uganda.