While I was off-grid last week, most Western journalists reduced the count of Ebola cases — and deaths, in Africa. They did so, because WHO is now only counting cases confirmed by Western-style diagnostic testing.
But several hundreds were buried, without any intervention — before the outbreak was declared — and so no testing will ever occur, on those — as “Great Death has made them his, forevermore1“. These long-departed are almost certainly Ebola victims. [Thus our graphic this morning, cobbled together by phone, from the airport — attempts to true the results up.]
Even so, the official count of cases is now 515.
Before I left, the very reasonably suspected cases stood at over 1,100 — mostly in the gold mining (and strife torn) districts in remote eastern Ituri province — Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today it is certainly much higher.
And so — to be clear — for our part, our graphics will include the suspected cases — so we now show over 1,615. Because that is the most likely truth — and deaths are at over 310, based on similar logic.
This is likely to end as the second worst outbreak in recorded history for ebola — with only the 2012 to 2014 one recording more cases and deaths. [Thanks, Elon and Donald!] Here is Reuters, reporting on the latest, overnight:
…Democratic Republic of Congo said on Sunday that the number of confirmed Ebola cases had increased to 515 after 27 new samples tested positive in the previous 24 hours.
The confirmed cases include 91 deaths, government data showed….
Obviously, DRC officials are now likely willing to under-report, so as not to kill their inter-country economies. [Afterall, nothing more may be done — for what Charles Hamilton Sorley called “the mouthless dead“.] But the truth is — and will be — far worse. Trust that.
Back in the Chi-, by tonight… and — a few thumbnails of the weekend’s shenanigans.
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1. “When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead” Charles Hamilton Sorley (1915)
नमस्ते
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