Why Can't We Stop Ebola?
If Ebola continues to spread, the CDC estimates that the virus may infect up to 1.4 million people in West Africa by 2015. Why is Ebola proving so hard to contain? Can we stop this alarming...
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As of September 18th, there were 5,335 cases of Ebola in West Africa and more than 2,622 deaths. Last month the WHO estimated that we could see 20,000 people infected before this is all over. In a worst-case scenario, according to an estimate by the CDC, 1.4 million people in Liberia and Sierra Leone alone could end up with the disease. So, how did we get here and why is this outbreak so hard to contain? Well, it doesn’t actually have that much to do with the disease itself. Yes, Ebola is contagious. And Yes, there is no cure, but that has always been the case with Ebola, and other outbreaks haven’t been nearly this widespread…. Because other outbreaks haven’t happened in this part of West Africa. Stopping Ebola is all about containing it. There is n...
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As of September 18th, there were 5,335 cases of Ebola in West Africa and more than 2,622 deaths. Last month the WHO estimated that we could see 20,000 people infected before this is all over. In a worst-case scenario, according to an estimate by the CDC, 1.4 million people in Liberia and Sierra Leone alone could end up with the disease. So, how did we get here and why is this outbreak so hard to contain? Well, it doesn’t actually have that much to do with the disease itself. Yes, Ebola is contagious. And Yes, there is no cure, but that has always been the case with Ebola, and other outbreaks haven’t been nearly this widespread…. Because other outbreaks haven’t happened in this part of West Africa. Stopping Ebola is all about containing it. There is n...
