The deadliest outbreak of Ebola virus on record has sparked fears that the killer virus could spread from west Africa to other regions and continents.
The outbreak began with just a handful of cases in Guinea in March. Since then, there have been 814 confirmed cases and another 387 probable or suspected across that country, Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the World Health Organization.
Some 672 people of the 1,201 total confirmed and possible infections have died, which equates to a 55% mortality rate, reports WHO as of July 23. (There have been 456 confirmed deaths due to Ebola.)
The WHO says "drastic action is needed" to contain Ebola, warning that previously undetected chains of transmission is boosting the numbers of sick and increasing the chances that the disease spreads from Africa.
"This epidemic is without precedent," said Bart Janssens, director of operations for Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders. "It's absolutely not under control, and the situation keeps worsening... There are many places where people are infected, but we don't know about it."
What's the latest?
The Ebola outbreak has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where authorities have been working to contain the virus.
In Liberia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Wednesday that, "without exceptions, all schools are ordered closed pending further directive from the Ministry of Education." She also declared Friday a non-working day "to be used for the disinfection and chlorination of all public facilities."
On the same day, the Peace Corps said it was temporarily removing its 340 volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the outbreak.
The announcement comes as two Peace Corps volunteers were isolated after coming in contact with someone who ended up dying of Ebola, a spokeswoman for the group said. She said these two Americans "are not symptomatic," and the Peace Corps will work to return them to the United States once they get medical clearance to travel.
Source: CNN - Full details on CNN
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