Struggling to cope (Image: Sylvain Cherkaoui/Cosmos/Eyevine/MSF)
That is how .
The epidemic, which began in Guinea at the beginning of the year, has spread to 60 locations, including some in Sierra Leone and Liberia. According to the World Health Organization, the .
That is . MSF says that people are frightened but view health facilities with suspicion. There is limited understanding that the disease spreads from person to person through body fluids.
Advertisement
If those infected are rehydrated rapidly they can recover, but MSF say it is overextended and can no longer send teams to new outbreaks.
“There are a lot of cases – we are really stretched. My worry is that this is the tip of the iceberg,” says Anja Wolz, MSF emergency coordinator. “Education and training are key to stopping this outbreak, so we are telling people what to look for and how they can prevent further spread. There are still a lot of people in the region who don’t believe that Ebola exists.”
Stopping the disease from spreading further is vitally important. At the moment, the virus is not readily transmissible, but a large outbreak gives it more chances to evolve to spread more easily between humans.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Deadliest Ebola outbreak”
Topics:



