International efforts have sought to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa since its beginning in February. But after the first case was confirmed in Guinea, the virus has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and now Nigeria, resulting in over 700 deaths.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden, appeared on CNN Thursday to speak about the outbreak in West Africa and what implications it may have on the rest of the world. He told CNN there's a real challenge in West Africa that's going to take an all-around effort to stop the epidemic, which could take three to six months.
"Ebola is a virus that can be stopped," Frieden said in an interview with CNN. "It can be stopped in the community through control measures and it can be prevented from spread in hospitals by meticulous infection control. Doctors Without Borders has been caring for Ebola patients for many years in outbreaks and they've never had a death in one of their workers."
Frieden hopes to lighten the hysteria over the Ebola patient that is being flown to the US to receive treatment from a special hospital unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. He assures if the proper safety procedures are executed, then the United States has nothing to worry about in terms of a healthcare worker or other person in the hospital being infected with Ebola. The healthcare settings are much more efficient and safe in the United States compared to Africa, as speculation has increased after Sierra Leone's top Ebola doctor died earlier this week from contracting the virus while treating patients.
The World Health Organization (WHO), based on its July 31 Ebola Virus Disease update, has recorded a total of 1,323 cases and 729 deaths in West Africa as a result of the outbreak: 460 cases and 339 deaths in Guinea; 329 cases and 156 deaths in Liberia; 1 case and 1 death in Nigeria; and 533 cases and 233 deaths in Sierra Leone. They also expressed that the deadly virus is outpacing control efforts, as the Ebola report from July 24 documented 1,093 cases and 660 deaths. The situation could drastically worsen in Africa as well. Nigeria's Special Advisor on Public Health says the country is looking to contact over 30,000 people who may be hosting the virus after American victim Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia's Finance Ministry, may have infected others on two separate flights before he died. Health officials believe over 30,000 people could be at risk after Sawyer traveled from Monrovia, Liberia to Lome, Guinea and then to Lagos, Nigeria.
In light of the situation, Stephen Morse, a Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, conducted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on REDDIT.com earlier today. He answered a number of questions on Ebola as well as anything else regarding the current outbreak in West Africa. You can check it out here.
To keep up with the latest Ebola news, visit the WHO Ebola webpage.
