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Montserrado County in Liberia, which includes the capital, Monrovia, recorded over 300 new cases in the week ended Oct 21. One of the country’s challenges has been the lack of laboratories to test for Ebola. The United States Navy opened a new mobile laboratory in Monrovia earlier this month.
Note: Data is incomplete for certain time periods and locations because of the difficulties in collecting data in outbreak areas. Many officials believe that the number of cases and deaths are undercounted, but by how much is unknown.
How Many Ebola Patients Have Been Treated Outside of West Africa? UPDATED OCT. 28At least 18 cases have been treated in Europe and the United States. Most were health and aid workers who contracted Ebola in West Africa and were transported back to their home country for treatment. A doctor, who had recently been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, tested positive for the Ebola virus in New York City on Oct. 23. The two nurses who contracted Ebola at a Dallas hospital have recovered. Cases shown below are compiled from reports by the C.D.C., the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other official agencies.
Green:Recovered Orange: In treatment Red: Died
Cases of Ebola Outside of West AfricaAs of Oct. 28, 2014
| United States | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|
| Aid worker | Aug. 2 | Recovered |
| Missionary | Aug. 2 | Recovered |
| Doctor | Sept. 5 | Recovered |
| Doctor | Sept. 9 | Recovered |
| Visitor | Sept. 30* | Died |
| NBC Cameraman | Oct. 6 | Recovered |
| Nurse | Oct. 11* | Recovered |
| Nurse | Oct. 15* | Recovered |
| Doctor | Oct. 23* | In treatment |
| Spain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Priest | Aug. 7 | Died |
| Missionary | Sept. 22 | Died |
| Nurse | Oct. 6* | Recovered |
| France | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse | Sept. 19 | Recovered |
| Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nurse | Aug. 24 | Recovered |
| Germany | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor | Aug. 27 | Recovered |
| Physician | Oct. 3 | In treatment |
| U.N. medical official | Oct 9 | Died |
| Norway | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aid worker | Oct. 6 | Recovered |
*Date of Ebola diagnosis.
What Is the United States Doing to Make Sure That Ebola Does Not Spread? UPDATED OCT. 27
The governors of New York and New Jersey announced mandatory quarantines for medical workers returning from West Africa. The governor of Illinois also ordered a 21-day quarantine for high-risk individuals. Federal, state and local officials are identifying hospitals to be used as Ebola treatment centers. A full list is expected later this week. Of the nation’s 100 state public health laboratories, 24 are ready to test for Ebola. The five United States airports are screening travelers from West Africa for fever are: Kennedy International, Washington Dulles International, O’Hare International, Hartsfield-Jackson International and Newark Liberty International.
By Jeremy Ashkenas, Larry Buchanan, Joe Burgess, Hannah Fairfield, Denise Grady, Josh Keller, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Patrick J. Lyons, Heather Murphy, Haeyoun Park, Sergio Peçanha, Archie Tse and Karen Yourish
How Many People Have Been Infected in Africa? UPDATED OCT. 27
More than 10,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola since March, according to the World Health Organization, making this the biggest outbreak on record. More than 4,900 people have died.
The organization declared outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal were over. The two countries registered a combined 21 contracted cases and eight deaths.
How Many Americans Have Contracted Ebola in West Africa and Returned to the U.S? UPDATED OCT. 24
Six. Three American health workers, Dr. Kent Brantly, Nancy Writebol and Dr. Rick Sacra, contracted Ebola in Liberia, were treated in the United States and later released. Another American, who has not been identified, contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Ashoka Mukpo,, a freelance cameraman for NBC who was filming in Liberia was treated at the Nebraska Medical Center and released. The sixth American, Craig Spencer, had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, and is being treated at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
How Many People Have Been Sent to Countries With Ebola by Doctors Without Borders? UPDATED OCT. 23
Doctors Without Borders has sent 700 doctors and aid workers from around the world to Ebola-stricken countries. Of those, 270 are currently working there. Only three have contracted Ebola: a doctor from Norway, another from France, and now, an American.
Where Is the Outbreak? UPDATED OCT. 22
The disease continues to spread in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The C.D.C. said on Sept. 30 that Nigeria appeared to have contained its outbreak.
When Did Ebola Arrive and Spread at a Dallas Hospital? UPDATED OCT. 15
Nina Pham and Amber Joy Vinson contracted Ebola while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who traveled to Dallas. Both nurses were with him during what federal health officials have called the highest risk period, when he was vomiting and having diarrhea.
How Many Health Care Workers Have Contracted Ebola? UPDATED OCT. 14
More than 400 health care workers in West Africa have been infected with Ebola during the current outbreak, and 233 had died as of Oct. 8. The W.H.O. said that the high rates of infection among medical workers could be attributed to shortages or improper use of protective equipment; not enough medical personnel; and long working hours in isolation wards
How Many People Could Become Infected? UPDATED OCT. 14
The W.H.O. reported on Oct. 14 that the number of new Ebola cases could reach 10,000 per week by December. The C.D.C. published a report in September that outlined a worst-case situation, in which the total number of cases could reach 1.4 million in four months. The C.D.C.’s model is based on data from August and includes cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone, but not Guinea (where counts have been unreliable). It also projects further into the future and adds ranges to account for underreporting of cases.
How Contagious Is the Virus? UPDATED OCT. 3
Officials have emphasized that there is no risk of transmission from people who have been exposed to the virus but are not yet showing symptoms. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. A cough from a sick person could infect someone who has been sprayed with saliva. Specialists at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta have also found that the virus is present on a patient’s skin after symptoms develop, underlining how contagious the disease is once symptoms set in.According to the C.D.C., the virus can survive for a few hours on dry surfaces like doorknobs and countertops and can survive for several days in puddles or other collections of body fluid. Bleach solutions can kill it.
Are There Drugs to Treat or Prevent Ebola? UPDATED OCT. 3
There are more than a dozen Ebola drugs in development, but none have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Several of these have been approved for emergency use in the current crisis. One of these, ZMapp, has been used on at least two patients in the United States, but there were no more doses available as of early October.The W.H.O. suggests that blood from Ebola survivors might be used to treat others, but there is no proof that such a treatment alone would work.The United States government plans to fast-track development of a vaccine shown to protect macaque monkeys, but there is no guarantee it will be effective in humans.
Are There Drugs to Treat or Prevent Ebola? UPDATED OCT. 3
There are more than a dozen Ebola drugs in development, but none have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Several of these have been approved for emergency use in the current crisis. One of these, ZMapp, has been used on at least two patients in the United States, but there were no more doses available as of early October.The W.H.O. suggests that blood from Ebola survivors might be used to treat others, but there is no proof that such a treatment alone would work.
The United States government plans to fast-track development of a vaccine shown to protect macaque monkeys, but there is no guarantee it will be effective in humans.
How Does This Compare to Past Outbreaks? UPDATED SEPT. 26
It is the deadliest, eclipsing an outbreak in 1976, the year the virus was discovered.
How Does the Disease Progress? UPDATED JULY 31
Symptoms usually begin about eight to 10 days after exposure to the virus, but can appear as late as 21 days after exposure, according to the C.D.C. At first, it seems much like the flu: a headache, fever and aches and pains. Sometimes there is also a rash. Diarrhea and vomiting follow.Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage. They may vomit blood or pass it in urine, or bleed under the skin or from their eyes or mouths. But bleeding is not usually what kills patients. Rather, blood vessels deep in the body begin leaking fluid, causing blood pressure to plummet so low that the heart, kidneys, liver and other organs begin to fail.
How Many Americans Have Contracted Ebola in West Africa and Returned to the U.S? UPDATED OCT. 24
Six. Three American health workers, Dr. Kent Brantly, Nancy Writebol and Dr. Rick Sacra, contracted Ebola in Liberia, were treated in the United States and later released. Another American, who has not been identified, contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Ashoka Mukpo,, a freelance cameraman for NBC who was filming in Liberia was treated at the Nebraska Medical Center and released. The sixth American, Craig Spencer, had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, and is being treated at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
Where Is the Outbreak? UPDATED OCT. 28
The disease continues to spread in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The C.D.C. said on Sept. 30 that Nigeria appeared to have contained its outbreak.
Where Does Ebola Come From? UPDATED JULY 31
Ebola was discovered in 1976 and was once thought to originate in gorillas, because human outbreaks began after people ate gorilla meat.Scientists now believe that bats are the natural reservoir for the virus, and that apes and humans catch it from eating food that bats have drooled or defecated on, or by coming in contact with surfaces covered in infected bat droppings and then touching their eyes or mouths. The current outbreak seems to have started in a village near Guéckédou, Guinea, where bat hunting is common, according to Doctors Without Borders.
