Headlines - Epidemiological Update for West Africa as of December 8, 2014.

• The WHO reports a total of 17,525 cases (suspected, probable, and confirmed) and 6,193 deaths in the four affected countries in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali).

• The three most affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) are reporting new cases distributed very unevenly across districts. Nationally, transmission is most intense in Sierra Leone with 537 new cases. In Liberia, the situation has been stable since the decline observed between mid-September and mid-October. In Guinea, the number of new cases is generally stable, with significant variation between districts.

• In the three most affected countries, the WHO estimates the case fatality rate at 72% among Ebola cases for which the final clinical outcome is known.

• In Mali, where local transmission has been reported for the past three weeks in the capital, Bamako, the toll stands at 8 cases and 6 deaths. No new cases have been reported since November 25.