worst-hit countries in the last week of January, the World Health
Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
It is the first weekly increase in 2015, ending a series of
encouraging declines.
The WHO says Sierra Leone registered 80 of the 124 new cases, Guinea
39 and Liberia the remaining five.
Almost 9,000 people have died from Ebola since December 2013.
Dr David Nabarro, the United Nations special envoy on Ebola, said the
small rise in Ebola cases was a concern but they knew there would be
flare-ups.
"We're on a good path, this is coming down, but we really have to be
vigilant because there are still pockets of infection," he said.
Ebola deaths
Figures up to 31 January 2015
8,936
Deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected
(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)
3,710Liberia
3,274Sierra Leone
1,937Guinea
8Nigeria
Source: WHOGetty
Only a week ago the WHO announced its lowest weekly tally of new cases
since June 2014, raising hopes that a turning point in the battle
against the disease might have been reached.
But suspicion of aid workers, especially in Guinea, and unsafe local
practices were continuing to hamper efforts to contain the virus, the
United Nations agency said.
Eleven new cases were blamed on one unsafe burial that took place in
eastern Guinea on the border with Cote d'Ivoire, where a rapid
response team has now been deployed, the WHO adds.
Mourners have caught the disease in the past by touching the
highly-contagious bodies of dead loved ones.
Nearly one-third of Guinea's 34 prefectures had reported at least one
security incident or other form of refusal to cooperate with health
workers in the previous week.
The WHO emphasised the need to step up efforts before the start of the
April-May rainy season, when downpours can block roads and make it
difficult for health teams to travel.
--BBC
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