Ebola virus disease in West Africa--the first 9 months of the epidemic and forward projections.

ABSTRACT:

Background

On March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Guinea. On August 8, the WHO declared the epidemic to be a "public health emergency of international concern."

Methods

By September 14, 2014, a total of 4507 probable and confirmed cases, including 2296 deaths from EVD (Zaire species) had been reported from five countries in West Africa--Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. We analyzed a detailed subset of data on 3343 confirmed and 667 probable Ebola cases collected in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone as of September 14.

Results

The majority of patients are 15 to 44 years of age (49.9% male), and we estimate that the case fatality rate is 70.8% (95% confidence interva

SUBMITTER: WHO Ebola Response Team 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4235004 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature