Ebola Declining in Liberia

Putting the Ebola virus in context

Ebola is rare but deadly, spreading fear and panic. Caring for infected patients and affected communities is crucial for a response to be effective.

The Ebola virus can kill anywhere from 25 percent to 90 percent of people who become infected, causing terror among affected communities. MSF has intervened in most Ebola epidemics, including the largest one ever documented—in West Africa from 2014 to 2016. We most recently responded to a massive Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the worst to hit that country and the second largest outbreak on record. No cure exists, but a promising new vaccine and several still-experimental treatments are bringing hope in the battle against this deadly disease.
 

Quick facts about Ebola

How MSF responds to Ebola

MSF has treated thousands of people with Ebola and intervened in almost all reported outbreaks since the mid-1990s. From Ebola’s discovery in 1976 until 2014, most outbreaks were in isolated rural areas with fewer than 100 cases. In our initial Ebola responses, our teams typically carried out all the main steps needed. These steps are: care and isolation of patients and finding (and isolating) new patients; avoiding transmission through safe, dignified burial of Ebola victims and through decontamination of ambulances, patients’ homes, and health facilities at risk; engaging with affected and at-risk communities; and supporting health facilities that provide care for illnesses other than Ebola.

Video

Ebola: MSF responds in Mbandaka, DRC

MSF teams are currently in the Mbandaka and Bikoro areas and are setting up two Ebola Treatment Centres of 20 beds each. Voluntary Ebola vaccinations have also begun for frontline healthcare workers and those in contact with suspected cases. 

The 2014-2016 West African epidemic marked a turning point in how we, and the world, respond to Ebola. The scale of the outbreak was unprecedented: 67 times the size of the largest previously recorded outbreak, it reached urban areas and killed over 11,300 people. Many lessons were learned, promising investigational drugs and a vaccine became available under certain limited conditions, and more care providers, national public health authorities, and global health organizations became engaged and gained experience. These improvements are being brought to the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which nevertheless proves to be among the most challenging outbreaks ever.

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