Up to Date on the Ebola Crisis
Beau Harrison 
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The recent Ebola epidemic, which started in Guinea in early 2014 and soon spread throughout Western Africa, has resulted in 10 cases treated on American soil – with two deaths. The US government has since worked to prevent the spread of the epidemic both at home and abroad by:
- Instituting controversial 21-day monitoring and isolation protocols for aid workers,
- Sending thousands of medical and military personnel to the heart of the epidemic to build clinics and train workers,
- Approving $88 million in aid through Congress to help fight the outbreak, with more resources expected, and
- Issuing stricter guidelines for health workers treating Ebola patients
Medical and public health officials across the country have also been preparing responses to the possibility of additional cases, taking precaution to identify close contacts of Ebola patients and enforcing meticulous infection control procedures. Meanwhile, the CDC is beginning to express cautious optimism that Ebola’s spread is slowing in Liberia, and the worst-case scenarios may not be realized, but officials worry that an outbreak may be imminent in Mali.
For a status update on the worldwide Ebola outbreak, see the below infographic, which will be regularly updated for the duration of the epidemic:
Feature Photo: cc/(EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection)
