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Top 15 developments of 2014 Ebola outbreak
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The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a rapidly evolving crisis that poses numerous challenges to health care workers, government officials and the public.
Since the outbreak was first reported in March in rural Guinea, the disease has spread to at least four other countries and infected more than 3,000 people. Over 1,500 people have died.
Here, Infectious Disease News highlights the biggest developments of the 2014 Ebola epidemic.
1. Ebola spreads to Liberia from Guinea
An Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Guinea has spread to its neighbor, Liberia, according to WHO. Read more.
2. Ebola virus present in West Africa ahead of current outbreak
In Sierra Leone, West Africa, 60% to 70% of patients with suspected Lassa virus in 2006 were instead infected with diseases of unknown origin, nearly 9% of which were Ebola virus. Read more.
3. Peace Corps pulls volunteers from Ebola-stricken areas
The Peace Corps is temporarily removing volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea because of the increasing spread of Ebola virus. Read more.
4. CDC issues Level 3 travel warning due to Ebola outbreak
The CDC has issued a Level 3 travel warning to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in response to the worsening Ebola outbreak. Read more.
5. Ebola spreads to Nigeria, prompts international response
The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has spread to Nigeria, where nine suspected cases and one death have been reported. Read more.
6. American Ebola patients back in US, receiving treatment
The two American patients who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia have arrived in the United States and are in isolation at Emory University Hospital, according to an Emory press release. Read more.
7. WHO declares Ebola outbreak public health emergency of international concern
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, M, declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa a public health emergency of international concern, according to a press release. Read more.
8. UN scales up response to Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone
The U.N. is promising a surge of additional resources in Sierra Leone to address the ongoing Ebola outbreak there. Read more.
9. Ebola in W. Africa infects more medical personnel than previous outbreaks
An unprecedented number of health care workers have been infected with Ebola virus while trying to contain the current outbreak in West Africa, according to WHO. Read more.
10. WHO issues roadmap to guide response to Ebola outbreak
WHO has issued a “roadmap” to guide the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with a goal to stop Ebola transmission in the affected countries within 6 to 9 months and to prevent international spread. Read more.
11. Genomic sequencing reveals more than 300 mutations in 2014 Ebola virus
TRapid sequencing and analysis of 99 genomes have enabled researchers to identify more than 300 genetic changes in the Ebola virus genome, according to results published in Science. Read more.
12. NIH to launch human trials of Ebola vaccine
The NIH will initiate human testing of an investigational bivalent Ebola vaccine. The vaccine’s development has been expedited in response to the outbreak currently spreading in West Africa. Read more.
13. New findings suggest Ebola virus morphs from one shape to another
The same molecule that assembles and releases new Ebola viruses also rearranges itself into different shapes, with each shape controlling a different step of the virus’s life cycle, according to new research published online. Read more.
14. WHO confirms first Ebola case in Senegal
WHO has confirmed a case of Ebola virus in Senegal in a 21-year-old native of Guinea who arrived Aug. 20. Read more.
15. CDC: Ebola case numbers likely to increase significantly
CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, reinforced the need for global cooperation and resources in combating the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, just 1 day after returning from the affected countries. Read more.