The fact of the matter is that while we focus our attention on other things, Ebola is still out there. The most recent data I could find was from January 18th, up to which 8,641 people had been reported as having died from the disease in six countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the US and Mali. The total number of reported cases worldwide is more than 21 689. Only one person has died in the U.S., six people in Mali, eight in Nigeria and several thousand each in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. This picture shows a progression from March 2014 to November. Ebola is still spreading in Africa.
How the virus spread: Ebola death toll
This next graph shows the amount of people in industrialized nations with Ebola, including dead and recovering. Despite rising levels of cases, countries including Guinea and Sierra Leone have had their lowest levels of cases since mid summer. In DR Congo Ebola cases continue to rise, so not all is well. But for people like us living in the U.S. there is a slim chance that we could catch Ebola, and our advanced technology could most likely cure a patient. While we are relatively safe, African`s are still at a high risk of getting Ebola. There is a treatment for Ebola but not an official cure so it is imperative that we find one soon and contain this disease. 
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ReplyDeleteAccording to BBC News on February 2nd, "The first large scale trials of two experimental vaccines against Ebola have begun in Liberia."
ReplyDelete30,000 volunteers will receive the vaccine. Although they are experimental and it is unclear how effective they will be, the existence of a vaccine is still a step in the right direction. A Liberian scientist assured BBC the volunteers are safe, as the vaccine contains a weak strain that cannot cause Ebola. Ebola is spread through body fluids such as blood and saliva, with an incubation period of two to twenty-one days. One can also be infected with Ebola by eating infected animals, such as fruit bats. The symptoms include high fever, bleeding, and central nervous system damage.
As of January 31, 8,936 people have died due to Ebola. Approximately 3,700 of those people died in Liberia, with 3,300 in Sierra Leone, and 2,000 in Guinea. Eight people and six people have died in Nigeria and Mali, respectively, and one person has died in the United States. However, the number of Ebola cases in Liberia has been steadily decreasing. The fatality rate can reach 90%, but the current outbreak has a mortality rate of between 54 and 62%. (But another article from BBC claims that the "Survival rate for the current outbreak is around 40%"). Although the total number of reported cases is over 22,000, this vaccine may change that for the better.
Becky Reals