W. Africa in grip of ebola

Since the first case of ebola was reported in Guinea in December 2013, more than 6,500 people in West Africa have been infected by the virus and more than 3,000 of them have died. At least 375 health workers, themselves, have been infected, and at least 211 have died. 

Liberia has been hit hardest, with more than 1,800 deaths, while Guinea and Sierra Leone each have suffered more than 600 deaths. Quarantine and curfew efforts in Sierra Leone and Guinea have failed to stop the spread of the disease, which health officials feared could infect 20,000 people by November. 

Mistrust of authorities has contributed to the problem and even directly caused deaths and injuries. A riot in Nzerekore, Guinea, in August occurred when rumors spread that medics disinfecting a market were spreading ebola. And on Sept. 19, eight members of an ebola-awareness team in Guinea were killed by villagers who suspected they were spreading the disease. 

The US Department of State alerts travelers to the screening procedures and travel restrictions put in place in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in response to the outbreak. Several airlines and most emergency-medical-evacuation companies have suspended service to affected countries. In addition, routine medical care in the area is severely limited. 

The US has sent 3,000 troops to Liberia to help set up emergency medical facilities. 

In the first case diagnosed in the US, a Liberian who arrived in the US on Sept. 20 to visit family in Texas was diagnosed with ebola at a Dallas hospital on Sept. 30. At least 38 people along the patient’s path were being observed for signs of infection, though only 10 were believed to have come in direct contact with him. Ebola can be transmitted only by direct contact with the bodily fluid of someone showing symptoms of the disease.