The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is at a "turning point," a World Health Organization director told BBC News, as the number of new cases reported in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has been on the decline.
For instance, just eight cases of Ebola were reported in Liberia last week, a big improvement from its peak of 509 new cases each week in September, according to the BBC. In Guinea, new cases stand at 20 per week, down dramatically from its peak of 292, and Sierra Leone sees 117 cases per week now, while its peak was 748.
Even though new cases in West Africa are on the decline, vigilance is still needed to get the case count down to zero, as "a single case is enough to start an entire outbreak," the BBC notes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola has taken the lives of 8,668 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since the outbreak began. The virus came to America in September 2014 and went on to affect four people and kill one.