Ebola Outbreak Becomes Among Africa’s Worst
EarthWeek.com
June 13, 2014
The Ebola epidemic that emerged in West Africa early this year has now killed more than 230 people and has become among the worst outbreaks since the virus was first recorded in 1976.
The first appearance of the disease anywhere in West Africa was in southeastern Guinea, which later spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Health officials say this outbreak is especially challenging to contain because of the number of “satellite outbreaks” that have cropped up.
Doctors Without Borders says that in each new outbreak, health workers must identify patients, then track down and monitor everyone with whom they have been in contact.
They say it’s also crucial to teach people how to avoid the disease.
But the international aid group says it has been forced to suspend activity at one treatment center in Guinea after it came under attack by protesters in April.
Its staff was accused by a mob of bringing the disease to Guinea, which had never seen any previous cases.
