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July 29, 2014

West Africa Faces Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History 
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West Africa is facing the worst outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in
history. Since February, more than 1,200 people have been infected in
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea; 672 have died. Liberia has shut its
borders, banned funerals and other large gatherings and is considering
quarantining certain neighborhoods. One of Liberia's top doctors died of
Ebola over the weekend, and two U.S. healthcare workers in Liberia have
also fallen ill. Steve Monroe, deputy director of the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed the infections in a conference
call.

Stephan Monroe: "Two American healthcare workers at a hospital in
Monrovia, Liberia, have been infected with Ebola virus. One of the
healthcare workers, a physician who worked with Ebola patients in the
hospital, is symptomatic and is in isolation. The other healthcare
worker developed fever, but no other signs of illness. No Ebola cases
have been reported in the United States, and the likelihood of this
outbreak spreading outside of West Africa is very low."

A Liberian man died of Ebola on Friday in the Nigerian city of Lagos
after arriving there by plane, marking the first recorded case in
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. Ebola is highly infectious, has
no known cure and can kill up to 90 percent of those afflicted.

 

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