Dear Colleagues,
The pace of Ebola infection continues to increase, with the number of cases now totaling over 4,269 and a death toll of 2,300. In a recent announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the current numbers appear to show an exponential increase in infections, and that things will get worse before getting better. There is desperate need for development partners to drastically scale up their current efforts.
In Liberia the demands of the Ebola outbreak have completely surpassed the capacity to respond. Fourteen of Liberia’s 15 counties have now reported confirmed cases. In Montserrado County alone, 1,000 beds are urgently needed for the treatment of currently infected Ebola patients. According to WHO, no free beds for Ebola treatment exist anywhere in the country. Entire communities are facing rapid infection due to poor containment measures and a lack of medical personnel. Many thousands of new cases are expected over the coming weeks. Guinea and Sierra Leone are also struggling to contain the outbreak.
Conventional Ebola control interventions do appear to be having more sucess in Nigeria, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nigeria has recorded 19 infections and eight deaths. In Senegal, authorities have confirmed that the Guinean student who was the country's only confirmed case has recovered. The cumulative number of cases in the DRC’s separate outbreak is now 62 with 35 reported deaths.
We are in constant communication with our staff in Liberia and continue to closely monitor the situation. We encourage all of our programs to establish simple prevention measures such as hand sanitizing stations, and to promote Ebola awareness.
Please email David Rolph, our director of Global Security, david_rolph@abtassoc.com and cc Sarah Dedic, sarah_dedic@abtassoc.com with any questions you have about the status of the outbreak.
Best,
Jay
Jay L. Knott | Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer | Abt Associates
O: 301-347-5896| F: 301-828-9739 | www.abtassociates.com
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