Stemming the spread of Ebola
The Ebola outbreak that began in March is the deadliest in recorded history. As of early August, more than 900 people [2] had died in four countries – Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria – and on August 8, the World Health Organization declared [3] the epidemic a global emergency and an “extraordinary event.”
Yet, despite increased news coverage, many people are still confused about the basics of the disease. How do you catch it? Is there a cure? Is it really as bad as it looks?
Below, we’ve compiled three key stats for you to use or share:
- Ebola is not highly contagious. First, it can only be transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Second, the virus has a two- to three-week generation time [4], meaning that it takes at least two weeks for one person to infect another. In comparison, the flu is highly contagious because its generation time is 2 to 4 days, so it spreads rapidly. Influenza is also airborne.
- However, the Ebola virus is highly lethal. Left untreated, it can have a 90 percent [5] mortality rate. Pneumonia, on the other hand, even in the most severe cases, has a mortality rate of 10 percent [6].
- The number of cures for Ebola? Zero. The virus is incurable [7], though doctors can treat specific symptoms of the disease. That being said, it is possible to survive an Ebola infection.
This interactive map [8] from HealthMap, a team of researchers and epidemiologists at Boston Children’s Hospital, shows a timelapse of the recent Ebola epidemic.