The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report today that indicates the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is nearing a potentially devastating tipping point – the CDC projects that the number of cases in Sierra Leone and Liberia could explode to as many as 1.4 million by the end of January.
We’ve warned travelers previously that trips to western Africa should be considered with caution. This latest report should be taken very seriously by all travelers; it paints a picture of a still spiraling threat that has not been adequately addressed by the health systems in West Africa.
Specifically, the CDC projects that the number of Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone could rise to between 550,000 and 1.4 million over the next few months unless there are “additional interventions or changes in community behavior.” The very large range is due to officials’ belief that the number of cases is being significantly under-reported.
Over the last six months, the death toll in West Africa due to Ebola is more than 2,800. The total number of cases has been reported as 5,800 as of Monday, September 22, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report is not all doom and gloom – the CDC offers some hope, projecting that if 70 percent of Ebola patients get proper medical care, it could reverse the epidemic and eventually bring it to an end.
Photo from CNN.com.
