What You Need to Know about the EBOLA OUTBREAK in West Africa | Green Science

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Unlike the past 32 Ebola outbreaks, which were primarily in Central Africa, this current outbreak is the first one to occur in West Africa. Because the disease is new to these countries and their medical facilities are ill-equipped to fight such a massive outbreak, the response has been slow. Since the beginning of the outbreak in March 2014, there have been<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29615452"> 8,914 documented cases and 4,447 deaths</a> (as of October 15), which is almost quadruple the number of cases and the death toll from the previous outbreaks combined <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719">(</a></i><i style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" mce_href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" nated_pk="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id||#eq$||26159719">2631 cases an</a></i><i style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719">d 1,43</a><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" mce_href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" nated_pk="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id||#eq$||26159719"></a><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719">8</a><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" mce_href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719" nated_pk="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id||#eq$||26159719"> deaths)</a>. Because Ebola is continuing to spread with no end in sight, the <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2014/ebola-20140808/en/">World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency</a> on August 3<sup>rd. </sup> It is therefore crucial that the international community comes to the aid of these West African nations to help contain the outbreak before more civilians and health workers die.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>So, what exactly is Ebola? <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ebola is a virus of the family <i><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/virus-families/filoviridae.html">Filoviridae</a></i>, and there are <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html">four species of the virus</a> that are capable of causing disease in humans: the Zaire (also known simply as Ebola) virus, Sudan virus, Tai Forest virus, and the Bundibugyo virus. The Zaire virus, the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/19/341468027/ebola-in-the-skies-how-the-virus-made-it-to-west-africa">deadliest strain</a>, is the cause of our current outbreak and was first discovered in humans in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (where there is currently a <a href="https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=432&">separate Ebola outbreak</a>). <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the transmission electron micrograph above shows, Ebola is long in structure, and such a large surface area better enables the virus to encounter and take over nearby cells in an infected body. By attacking the body's white blood cells, Ebola prevents the immune system from responding to and killing the virus, and so, it proceeds to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/know-enemy/">essentially take over all the cells in the body</a>, making them into Ebola replication factories. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A person may experience symptoms any time between two and twenty-one days <span style="font-size: 11.1999998092651px;">after direct contact with the Ebola virus.</span><span style="font-size: 11px;"> If symptoms do not arise after this period, then a person does </span><i style="font-size: 11px;">not </i><span style="font-size: 11px;">have Ebola. Initial </span><a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">symptoms</a><span style="font-size: 11px;"> include fever, muscle pain, weakness, sore throat, and headache. Since Ebola is a </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/know-enemy/" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">hemorrhagic fever virus</a><span style="font-size: 11px;">, some patients may also experience internal and external bleeding. This happens when infected body cells attach to blood vessels and cause them to leak out fluids. Such bleeding causes the body's blood pressure to drop, and this can be fatal if it drops too low, causing the body to go into <a href="http://www.livescience.com/36945-shock-causes-symptoms-treatments.html" mce_href="http://www.livescience.com/36945-shock-causes-symptoms-treatments.html" nated_pk="http://www.livescience.com/36945-shock-causes-symptoms-treatments.html">shock</a> and the organs to fail due to a lack of blood, oxygen, and nutrients. Other late-stage symptoms of Ebola include vomiting, diarrhea, and impaired kidney and liver function.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><div class="imageSet Left marginright10px"><div><img src="/scitable/content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125507834/2_1.jpg" mce_src="nated/../content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125507834/2_1.jpg" isthumbselected="false" thumbsrc="content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125507834/2_1.jpg" orgwidth="640" orgheight="427" paraelementcaption="Guinea" paraelementlegends="Guinea" paraelementcopyright="Some||#|$||rights||#|$||reserved." imageinsertyr="2014" legalowner="Public||#|$||Domain" termsofuse="This||#|$||material||#|$||is||#|$||either||#|$||public||#|$||domain||#|$||or||#|$||Nature||#|$||Education||#|$||has||#|$||received||#|$||permission||#|$||from||#|$||the||#|$||owner||#|$||to||#|$||make||#|$||it||#|$||available||#|$||to||#|$||all||#|$||users||#|$||without||#|$||restrictions.||#|$||You||#|$||may||#|$||reuse||#|$||this||#|$||material,||#|$||with||#|$||modifications,||#|$||in||#|$||print,||#|$||electronic||#|$||or||#|$||any||#|$||other||#|$||form,||#|$||for||#|$||commercial||#|$||or||#|$||non-commercial||#|$||purposes." copyrightflag="N" licensetypepk="3" displaycopysymbol="Y" displaylegalowner="Y" displayimginsertyr="Y" displaytermsofuse="Y" displaycopydesc="Y" height="224" width="335" align="left" imgtype="FIG"></div></div>Where did Ebola come from?<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ebola is believed to have originated in bats of the <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pteropodidae/">Pteropodidae family</a>. It is spread when bodily fluids<span style="font-size: 11.1999998092651px;"> — </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">such as urine, feces, semen, breast-milk, saliva, and blood</span><span style="font-size: 11.1999998092651px;"> — </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">of an infected individual enter into an opening of another animal or person. The virus is thought to have spread from bats to other wild animals, such as gorillas, and then to humans who consumed or hunted the infected animals. According to a </span><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6202/1369.abstract" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">gene study published in <i>Science</i></a><span style="font-size: 11px;">, the transmission of the disease in West Africa most likely began with </span><i style="font-size: 11px;">one</i><span style="font-size: 11px;"> person infected by an animal, who then spread it to others through human-human contact.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the beginning of our current outbreak, one of the common modes of virus transmission was through the handling of the dead, Ebola-infected bodies. In West Africa, the preparation and burial of the deceased is a respected, cultural tradition, but in doing so, people are exposed to infected bodily fluids, which can still contain up to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/know-enemy/">one billion copies of the virus per one cubic centimeter of blood</a> even after a person dies. To prevent the spreading of the virus through the preparation of the dead, Liberia — who was hit the hardest and has a total death count of 2,950 as of October 10, 2014 — ordered that <a href="http://yahoonews.tumblr.com/post/95485584052/katiecouric-watch-i-interviewed-the-president">all bodies be tested for Ebola</a> before they are handled and buried by families. However, since there are only two testing centers in the country and the dead bodies were accumulating, the country began to cremate <i>all</i> the bodies, even if some had died from natural causes. Likewise, health authorities in other countries are taking control and burying or cremating the dead bodies themselves to prevent contamination among the general public. This, however, is angering many people who want to bury their deceased relatives themselves, and in Guinea, residents reacted by <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/24/red-cross-team-attacked-while-burying-dead-ebola-patients/">attacking and killing health workers</a>. Because of such resistance, the response efforts to stop the spread of Ebola were hindered. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Why is the current Ebola outbreak a “big deal?”</b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every day, I hear people comparing Ebola to the flu, and asking “Why are we making such a big deal over Ebola when there are other diseases and <span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">sicknesses </span>that are more common and causing more deaths in our society?” (<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm">The flu, as an example, kills between 3,000 to 49,000 people a year</a> in the United States.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Well, one major difference between Ebola and other health conditions, such as the flu, has to do with the availability of vaccinations. Every year, </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;"><i>several</i> flu vaccinations</a><span style="font-size: 11px;"> are readily available to the public, which allow people to build up immunity and hence quickly fight off the infection if they get it in the future. But, </span><b style="font-size: 11px;">for Ebola, there are no vaccinations readily available, </b><span style="font-size: 11px;">and because it has such a high mortality rate, this is frightening. Yes, scientists </span><i style="font-size: 11px;">are</i><span style="font-size: 11px;"> in the process of creating two vaccines and treatment drugs, such as </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/qa-experimental-treatments.html" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">ZMapp</a><span style="font-size: 11px;"> (which was initially </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/know-enemy/" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">developed twelve years</a><span style="font-size: 11px;"> ago by the United States Army Medical Research Institute), but these drugs and </span><a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/ebola_vaccine_is_it_safe/views.htm" style="font-size:||#|$||11px;">vaccinations are still in clinical trials</a><span style="font-size: 11px;">. Since they are not yet made readily available to the public, they are unable to help the thousands of people currently infected and at risk.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, the number of diagnosed Ebola cases can rise from 1,000 new cases each week to between 5,000 and 10,000. Therefore, the total number of cases <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6303a1.htm?s_cid=su6303a1_w">can reach 1.4 million by January 2015</a> if sufficient help is not provided. With an average death rate of 50%, an estimated 700,000 people are projected to die in three months time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Does Ebola seem like a “big deal” yet?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><div class="imageSet Left marginright10px"><div><img src="/scitable/content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125492940/2_1.jpg" mce_src="nated/../content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125492940/2_1.jpg" isthumbselected="false" thumbsrc="content/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/ne0000/125492940/2_1.jpg" orgwidth="640" orgheight="425" paraelementcaption="Ebola||#|$||Protective||#|$||Gear" paraelementlegends="Ebola||#|$||Protective||#|$||Gear" paraelementcopyright="Some||#|$||rights||#|$||reserved." imageinsertyr="2014" legalowner="Public||#|$||Domain" termsofuse="This||#|$||material||#|$||is||#|$||either||#|$||public||#|$||domain||#|$||or||#|$||Nature||#|$||Education||#|$||has||#|$||received||#|$||permission||#|$||from||#|$||the||#|$||owner||#|$||to||#|$||make||#|$||it||#|$||available||#|$||to||#|$||all||#|$||users||#|$||without||#|$||restrictions.||#|$||You||#|$||may||#|$||reuse||#|$||this||#|$||material,||#|$||with||#|$||modifications,||#|$||in||#|$||print,||#|$||electronic||#|$||or||#|$||any||#|$||other||#|$||form,||#|$||for||#|$||commercial||#|$||or||#|$||non-commercial||#|$||purposes." copyrightflag="N" licensetypepk="3" displaycopysymbol="Y" displaylegalowner="Y" displayimginsertyr="Y" displaytermsofuse="Y" displaycopydesc="Y" height="222" width="335" align="left" imgtype="FIG"></div></div>Combatting the Ebola Crisis<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To prevent the World Health Organization’s dismal — but very probable — predictions from coming true in a few months, many international organizations, including the World Health Organization, the International Red Cross, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are coming to the aid of West Africa. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention opened up an <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/eoc.htm">Emergency Operations Center</a> where experts educate the public about the virus, organize response efforts, and identify and monitor people who have been in contact with an Ebola-infected person (a method called <a href="http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/ebola/contact-tracing-during-outbreak-of-ebola.pdf?ua=1">contact tracing</a>). However, tracing and following up on every person who has been in contact with an Ebola victim is not an easy task, and because of this difficulty, the Ebola virus is continuing to spread. As of now, <a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/ebola_vaccine_is_it_safe/views.htm">quarantine of Ebola patients is one the main preventative measures being used</a> in trying to stop the spread of the disease. <b><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In addition to the help given by international organizations, the United States is stepping up to the plate and is <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-sends-bio-experts-to-staff-mobile-ebola-labs-in-liberia-1412714122">planning to send 4,000 specially trained troops</a> to Liberia; as of October 14, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/another-100-u-s-troops-arrive-liberia-fight-ebola-n225581">565 troops</a> were sent. The United States is also <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-sends-bio-experts-to-staff-mobile-ebola-labs-in-liberia-1412714122">devoting $750 million to the first six months</a> of its operations to be used to train local health workers and construct medical facilities to hold more Ebola victims. So far, three labs have been established to test and treat people for the virus (see the picture above for the protective gear that must be worn at all times in the lab). <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But, as Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said back in August in an <a href="http://yahoonews.tumblr.com/post/95485584052/katiecouric-watch-i-interviewed-the-president">interview with Katie Couric</a>, help is “<i>not</i> in the numbers required and <i>not </i>with the supplies and logistics that are required to fight this disease.” Therefore, as a global community, we must step up our game and do everything possible to help combat this outbreak. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Ebola in the United States<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/united-states-imported-case.html">Presently, there is one case of Ebola in the United States</a>. Thomas Eric Duncan, brought the disease back from Liberia and was diagnosed on September 30, 2014 in Texas. He later died on October 10. Nina Pham, the healthcare worker who treated Duncan, contracted the virus from him and is now being treated. This is the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29587803">first known transmission of Ebola in the United States</a>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Concerns have been raised about whether Duncan put his fellow passengers on the plane at risk for Ebola, but since he did not show symptoms on the plane, he could not have transmitted the disease. Therefore, there is no need to test the other passengers. However, as an added <span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">safety</span> precaution, health officials have begun using <a href="http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/10/texas-contact-tracing-identifies-50-ebola-fever-monitoring">contact tracing in Texas</a> to ensure that the disease does not spread. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> Is America at risk?</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/qa.html">America is not at risk</a> of an outbreak, but our troops, volunteers, and the millions of residents in West Africa <i>are</i>. It is crucial that we prevent Ebola from spreading to other regions and countries, or else the death toll will continue to rise. Ebola is a force to be reckoned with, and we must, as a global community, unite and work together to stop it in its tracks. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What do you think of the Ebola outbreak? Do you think countries outside West Africa are at risk of an outbreak? Do you believe the international community is doing enough to help control the outbreak? The United States mandated <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/10/08/travelers-from-west-african-countries-will-face-stronger-ebola-screening-at-u-s-airports/?hpid=z1">screening at five major airports</a>, but do you think this is enough to ensure that Ebola is kept out of the United States? <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/updated-ebola-outbreak-map-virus-spreads-out-africa-death-toll-tops-4000-1703162"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">What other preventive measures should we put into place? </span></a>Please share your thoughts about this major health crisis and respond to the poll below. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Additional information on the Ebola outbreak: <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For a timeline summarizing Ebola’s arrival in the United States, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For a live, updated map of the reported Ebola cases around the world, click <a href="http://outbreaks.globalincidentmap.com/home.php">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For continuing coverage on the West African Ebola Outbreak, check out the <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak">Ebola Virus Outbreak NBC News page</a>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For information about the separate Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, click <a href="https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=432&">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For information on how <i>you</i> can help combat Ebola, click <a href="http://www.usaid.gov/ebola">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Picture Credits: <o:p></o:p></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ebola Virus: CDC Global (via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdcglobal/14907212221/in/photolist-oHimQn-phDBP8-oDe3Bz-mUdj7Q-oiHjKy-mxvLjF-oBmFNn-oD1uA3-mZyb4f-njTPDT-5Faq5E-3ds1r-mN3Juo-oCVKH6-pbFrsE-pCYRsM-spZAe-owCNpV-prUEe8-piU225-pgaDi6-phwrsn-oJJXUe-nYbmbJ-orM9ug-phE6E8-oEAVyT-oHZzaT-pwMKLj-ok6qvT-mUaLMk-oAGnX1-owpGda-oDu6UC-oxKS9x-mUaV5x-mUbvup-mUcDMU-mUaWRB-mUaZ5g-mUd3QY-mUbjmv-mUaBec-mUbfe2-9UVCsG-oDu5N9-ozymNw-ok6kJE-oAXXyj-ojG7wv">flickr</a> and available for use under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC License</a>)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sierra Leone: Into the Ebola Epicentre: European Commission DG ECHO (via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/14700531867/in/photolist-nWf8N7-ptmyzz-ptmyE4-ptmyEV-ptmyB8-ptBqy5-ptmyBP-ptmyCk-oDu6UC-nUjzJy-oDu5N9-nWgtfy-oFuprq-oHgPqn-op2xHm-op2CYw-oFufCd-op2hxy-pwPFJC-op2x5Z-op34XZ-oFfs4g-oDuggy-oFinvW-pwMKLj-p7XMZ5-pDjNfq-nDSCNC-nWf8h7-nY9qLX-psB8Fs-puDdka-puBrSw-p7ZdRV-pgsjZr-pgsjNp-pgsi4J-pgsjPX-pgsjST-pgsk2k-op2mHr-p79yVo-pptbzX-p79iwr-p7XZHK-p7aziT-p7XZg2-p7ZbHM-pptd6n-p7Zdwg">flickr</a> and available for use under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">CC License</a>) <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Fight Against Ebola in Guinea: European Commission DG ECHO (via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdcglobal/14730236530/in/photolist-brnAJ6-pBoeo6-orEj8m-pjFKv6-pcWkjH-pcWkjn-pcWkjT-ok6trH-pcYAjr-pgu3ur-pgu3x2-pgu3u6-pgu3rF-pxV48j-pxV4ay-pxV4ad-pjFKrZ-pjFKtH-pdRokz-pjFKyn-pdRonZ-pdRoke-pjFKwD-pdRohi-pgsjX2-pcYAnx-pcYAma-pcWkfz-pcWkgg-pcWkgB-oPfipj-oyMrH5-oyMF5U-oyN68c-pyLd8z-ok6nWK-oBzR6i-ok6dqk-ok5RN9-ok6fkx-ok6gZq-oBnQgL-oDm66B-ok7dkB-op2mHr-pdNZLS-oFiv7N-oFioYA-op2rvT-op336x">flickr</a> and available for use under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC License</a>)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>References: <o:p></o:p></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html">2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa</a><i>” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention October </i>12, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html">About Ebola Virus Disease</a>” <i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</i> October 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Barnes, Julian “<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-sends-bio-experts-to-staff-mobile-ebola-labs-in-liberia-1412714122">US Military Sends Experts to Mobile Ebola Labs in Liberia</a><i>” The Wall Street Journal</i> October 7, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Berman, Mark; Sun, Lena; Halsey, Ashley “<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/10/08/travelers-from-west-african-countries-will-face-stronger-ebola-screening-at-u-s-airports/?hpid=z1">Travelers From West African Countries Will Face Stronger Ebola Screening At U.S Airports</a>” <i>The </i><i>Washington Post </i>October 8, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/united-states-imported-case.html">Cases of Ebola Diagnosed in the United States</a>” <i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention </i>October 12, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Davis, Charles “<a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/ebola_vaccine_is_it_safe/views.htm">Ebola Vaccine: Is It Safe?</a>” <i>MedicineNet.com</i> September 9, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29615452">Ebola Crisis: Outbreak Death Toll Rises to 4,447 says WHO</a>” <i>BBC News </i>September 15, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29587803">Ebola: Health Care Worker Tests Positive at Texas Hospital</a>” <i>BBC</i> News October 12, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/">Ebola Virus Disease</a>” <i>World Health Organization </i>September 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm">Estimating Seasonal Influenza-Associated Deaths in the United States: CDC Study Confirms Variability of Flu”</a> <i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</i> September 12, 2013<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lupkin, Sydney “<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story?id=26159719">Ebola in America: Timeline of a Deadly Virus’s Arrival in the US</a>” <i>ABC News</i> October 13, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Miklaszewski, J. & Kube, C. “<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/another-100-u-s-troops-arrive-liberia-fight-ebola-n225581">Another 100 US Troops Arrive in Liberia to Fight Ebola</a>” <i>NBC News </i>October 14, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Novack, Sophie “<a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/health-care/four-reasons-why-this-ebola-outbreak-is-different-20140808">Four Reasons Why This Ebola Outbreak is Different</a>” <i>National Journal</i> August 8, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/24/red-cross-team-attacked-while-burying-dead-ebola-patients/">Red Cross Team Attacked While Burying the Dead Ebola Victims</a>” <i>Fox News</i> September 24, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Schnirring, Lisa “<a href="http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/10/texas-contact-tracing-identifies-50-ebola-fever-monitoring">Texas Contact Tracing Identifies 50 for Ebola Fever Monitoring</a>”<i> University of Minnesota </i>October 3, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tam, Ruth “<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/know-enemy/">This is How You Get Ebola, as Explained by Science</a>” <i>PBS</i> September 20, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/what-cdc-is-doing.html">What CDC is doing</a>” <i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</i> October 9, 2014<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Podcast: <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/19/341468027/ebola-in-the-skies-how-the-virus-made-it-to-west-africa">Ebola In the Skies? How he Virus Made It To West Africa</a>” Narr. Michaeleen Doucleff. Morning Edition. NPR. August 19 2014 National Public Radio. Web.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Interview</i>:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family: Times">Couric, Katie. <i><a href="http://yahoonews.tumblr.com/post/95485584052/katiecouric-watch-i-interviewed-the-president">Katie Couric Interview the President of Liberia About the Country’s Ebola Crisis</a></i> August 24, 2014 <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Published articles</i>:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<a href="http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/ebola/contact-tracing-during-outbreak-of-ebola.pdf?ua=1">Contact racing During An Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease</a>” <i>World Health Organization </i>September 2014 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gire, S., Goba, A., Andersen, K., Sealfon, R; Park D,. Kanneh, L,. . . . Sabeti, P.(2014) <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6202/1369.abstract">Genomic Surveillance Elucidates Ebola Virus Origin and Transmission During the 2014 Outbreak”</a> <i>Science</i> (347), 1369-1372<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Meltzer, M., Atkins, C., Santibanez, S., Knust, B., Petersen, B., Ervin, E., Nichol, S., Damon, I., Washington, M. (2014)“<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6303a1.htm?s_cid=su6303a1_w">Estimating the Future Number of Cases in the Ebola Epidemic- Liberia and Sierra Leone, 2014-2015</a>” <i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</i> 63 (03), 1-14 <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="blogPollElement" class="padbot25px fontSizeChange"> <div class="forum-community clearfix padbot10px"> <div class="forum-community-hdr clearfix padbot5px"> <div class="fleft"> <img title="Poll" alt="Poll" src="/scitable/natedimages/poll_new.gif" class=""> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="clearfix"> <div class="w340 fleft"> <div class="padtop10px">Do you fear that Ebola will spread and that an outbreak will occur outside of Africa?</div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="padtop10px"> <div class="clearfix "><div class="fleft inlineForPrint"><input name="pollChoice_125593513" id="pollChoice_125593513" type="radio" class="nomargin margintop2px" value="125593731"/> </div><div class="fleft w280 padleft5px inlineForPrint" style="*margin-top:3px;">Yes</div></div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="clearfix padtop5px"><div class="fleft inlineForPrint"><input name="pollChoice_125593513" id="pollChoice_125593513" type="radio" class="nomargin margintop2px" value="125593766"/> </div><div class="fleft w280 padleft5px inlineForPrint" style="*margin-top:3px;">No</div></div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="h20 padright20px padtop10px"> <a style="color: #666666 !important" class="redArrow padleft8px fright" href="javascript:submitPoll('125593513', 'BLG')">Submit</a> </div> </div> <div class="fleft w50"> </div> <div class="fleft"> <img src="/scitable/natedimages/pollDefault.gif"/> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix"><div class="fright inlineForPrintRightComment"><span class="bold marginright5px">2 Comments</span> </div></div> <div class="cleartboth"></div> </div> <div class="comments marginbot25px" id="commentsId"> <div class="barcolor margintop1px marginbot17px h20 padleft10px clearfix"> <img class="padtop1px fleft" alt="Comments" title="Comments" src="/scitable/natedimages/blogcomments.gif"/> </div> <div class="padbot10px padleft10px botbordergreydotted marginbot10px fontSizeChange"> <div class="clearfix"> <div class="fleft bold inlineForPrint">December 10, 2014 | 02:28 PM</div> <div class="fright inlineForPrintRight"> <span class="bold">Posted By: </span> <span class="bold">Alex Tein</span> </div> </div> <div> "Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, the number of diagnosed Ebola cases can rise from 1,000 new cases each week to between 5,000 and 10,000. Therefore, the total number of cases can reach 1.4 million by January 2015 if sufficient help is not provided. With an average death rate of 50%, an estimated 700,000 people are projected to die in three months time." <br/> <br/>You mean each day? Otherwise the numbers doesn't add up. <br/>Nice article nevertheless. </div> </div> <div class="padleft10px fontSizeChange"> <div class="clearfix"> <div class="fleft bold inlineForPrint">October 24, 2014 | 06:43 PM</div> <div class="fright inlineForPrintRight"> <span class="bold">Posted By: </span> <span class="bold">Ilona Miko</span> </div> </div> <div> Nina Pham is now cured! 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videoStr = videoStr + "<span class=\"Photo imageSet " + align + " margintop20px marginbot20px\" align=\"" + align + "\" style=\"width: 322px !important; float: " + align + "\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "<span id=\"spanVideoPlayer_" + i + "\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "<noscript>"; videoStr = videoStr + "<object classid=\"clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8\" "; videoStr = videoStr + "width=\"320\" height=\"220\" id=\"videoPlayer_" + i + "\" >"; videoStr = videoStr + "<param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "<param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "<param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"file=" + cleanBaseURL + mediaSrc + "&autostart=false&fullscreen=true&backcolor=0xffffff&stretching=exactfit&javascriptid=videoPlayer_" + i + "\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" width=\"320\" height=\"220\" name=\"videoPlayer\" src=\"" + cleanBaseURL + "/nated/media/player.swf\" flashvars=\"file=" + cleanBaseURL + mediaSrc + "&autostart=false&fullscreen=true&backcolor=0xffffff&stretching=exactfit&javascriptid=videoPlayer_" + i + "\">"; videoStr = videoStr + "</embed></object></noscript></span></span>"; videoList.eq(i).before(videoStr); videoList.eq(i).remove(); } } } function processAudio() { var audioList = $(".mceItemRealMedia", document.getElementById('articleContent')); if (audioList != null) { for (var i=0; i<audioList.size(); i++) { var align = audioList.eq(i).attr("align"); if(align == "left") { align = "Left"; } else if(align == "right") { align = "Right"; } var mediaSrc = audioList.eq(i).attr("media_src"); var audioStr = "<span class=\"Photo imageSet " + align + " \" align=\"" + align + "\" style=\"width: 322px !important; float: " + align + "\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<div class=\"nomargin padleft4px pipeblack bold textalignleft\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<object style=\"margin-top:5px;float:left\" classid=\"clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8\" width=\"320\" height=\"20\" id=\"audioPlayer_\"" + i + "\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"movie\" value=\"" + cleanBaseURL + "/nated/media/mediaplayer.swf\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"bgcolor\" value=\"#ffffff\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"swLiveConnect\" value=\"true\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"file=" + cleanBaseURL + mediaSrc + "&autostart=false&fullscreen=true&backcolor=0xffffff&stretching=exactfit&width=320&height=20&javascriptid=audioPlayer_" + i + "\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" width=\"315\" height=\"20\" name=\"audioPlayer\" src=\"" + cleanBaseURL + "/nated/media/mediaplayer.swf\" flashvars=\"file=" + cleanBaseURL + mediaSrc + "&width=320&height=20&autostart=false&fullscreen=true&backcolor=0xffffff&stretching=exactfit&javascriptid=audioPlayer_" + i + "\">"; audioStr = audioStr + "</embed></object></div></span>"; audioList.eq(i).before(audioStr); audioList.eq(i).remove(); } } } function processVideoYouTube() { var align = $("span[name='externalMediaSpan']").attr("align"); $("span[name='externalMediaSpan'] img").remove(); $("span[name='externalMediaSpan']").css("margin", "5px").css("float", align); } </script> <script type="text/plain" data-cc-script="C04"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); (function (s) { s.src = gaJsHost + 'google-analytics.com/ga.js'; s.type = 'text/javascript'; document.head.appendChild(s); })(document.createElement('script')); </script> <script type="text/plain" data-cc-script="C04"> try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-12063924-2"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}</script> </div> </body> </html>

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