Ebola in an unprepared Africa-Governments of affected countries need help but must take the lead in protecting their citizens

摘要

The 2 year old boy who died in December 2013 in Gueckedou, Guinea, is considered the index case of the current outbreak of Ebola virus disease caused by the Zaire species. Up until 2014, the disease was limited to rural areas of east and central Africa, but it has now spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal. By 22 September 2014,5843 cases and 2803 deaths had been reported in the current outbreak, which, by the time the outbreak is controlled, is likely to surpass the total number of cases and deaths reported for all 22 Ebola outbreaks that have occurred in Africa since 1976, when the disease was first described. The World Health Organization has declared the current outbreak an "out of control" public health emergency of international concern. One of the reasons for the unprecedented epidemic is that Ebola is spreading in three countries ranked among the poorest in the world. The 2014 Human Development Index ranks Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone at 175,179, and 183, respectively, of 187 countries.5