A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
The West African Ebola outbreak first occurred in southern rural localities of Guinea. The outbreak then spread into urban cities including Conakry, the capital city of Guinea. During 2014, given many factors including the movement of populations between regions and countries, the Ebola outbreak affected five additional West African countries:
Liberia, Sierra-Leone, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali. At the time of publishing, the Ebola epidemic has caused more than 28,600 cases of infection and over 11,300 deaths.
In Mali, since the first declared case on 24 October 2014, a total number of 8 cases with 6 deaths were reported. Out of the total 8 cases, 7 were confirmed positive to Ebola virus, while the last case was probable. By 1 December 2014, a total number of 247 contacts were followed by CDC, WHO and Mali MoH technical teams. The last survivor was discharged from hospital on 6 December, and as no further case was detected, Mali was declared Ebola free country on 18 January 2015. However, it is imperative to remain vigilant through prevention measures and well prepared for any further outbreak in Mali. Therefore, this grant from the Ebola Preparedness Fund (EPF) helped in supporting activities planned by the National Society to keep itself abreast against EVD in Mali.