Ebola outbreak in West Africa: MSF says ‘We have reached our limits’
The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, which saw it’s beginnings in February 2014, has grown and spread to become the largest and deadliest outbreak of the lethal virus since first seen in Zaire in 1976. The World Health Organization (WHO), in their latest outbreak update published today, reports more cases and fatalities bringing the totals in this “out of control” outbreak to 599 cases and 338 deaths (approximately 56 percent fatality rate
Photo/CDC
In Guinea, the epicenter of the outbreak, three additional deaths were reported, bringing the cumulative number of cases and deaths reported from Guinea to 390 (260 confirmed, 87 probable, and 43 suspected) and 270 deaths.
Guinea’s neighbors to the southwest, Sierra Leone, reported four additional EVD fatalities, bringing the total cases and deaths to 158 and 34, respectively.
Liberia reported a total of 10 new cases and 8 new deaths from June 19-22, 2014, bringing their total case count to 51 cases and 34 deaths.
In 1976, the Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) Ebola outbreak tallied 318 cases and 280 deaths and the 2000-2001 Uganda Ebola (Sudan virus) outbreak, which comprised 425 cases and 224 fatalities, were the two largest outbreaks recorded previously, making the current outbreak “unprecedented” in terms of geographical distribution and the numbers of cases and deaths.
The size and scope of this current, ongoing outbreak has taken aid agencies to task, so much to the point that the international medical humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned Monday that it has reached the limit of what it can do to fight the deadly outbreak.
Dr. Bart Janssens, MSF director of operations said, “The epidemic is out of control. With the appearance of new sites in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, there is a real risk of it spreading to other areas”. He goes on to say, “We have reached our limits”, noting the organizations inability to send teams to the new outbreak sites. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
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