US Scientists Predict Long Battle Against Ebola

An anonymous reader writes: Despite recent advances in medicine to treat Ebola, epidemiologists are not hopeful that the outbreak in west Africa will be contained any time soon. Revised models for the disease's spread expect the outbreak to last 12 to 18 months longer, likely infecting hundreds of thousands of people. "While previous outbreaks have been largely confined to rural areas, the current epidemic, the largest ever, has reached densely populated, impoverished cities — including Monrovia, the capital of Liberia — gravely complicating efforts to control the spread of the disease. ... What worries public health officials most is that the epidemic has begun to grow exponentially in Liberia. In the most recent week reported, Liberia had nearly 400 new cases, almost double the number reported the week before. Another grave concern, the W.H.O. said, is 'evidence of substantial underreporting of cases and deaths.' The organization reported on Friday that the number of Ebola cases as of Sept. 7 was 4,366, including 2,218 deaths." Scientists are urging greater public health efforts to slow the exponential trajectory of the disease and bring it back under control.

Comments

Re:Good episode of Frontline

[Mashiki]

There's a simple solution then, we go back to doing what we had every time there was a serious outbreak of some disease. Quarantine and cutting that area off, eventually it'll simply kill the stupid people off. Something that most people don't realize is that many places outside of the western world, the understanding of the spread of infectious disease is where Europe was in the 900-1200's.

Re: +-2000 deaths?

[Noah Haders]

i did a google search and it said you're full of shit. want to see the link? search for it yourself.