Dear Colleagues,

The Ebola outbreak continues to accelerate.  As of 26 August 2014, the World Health Organization has reported 3,069 probable and confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), and 1,552 deaths. More than 40% of the total number of cases occurred within the past 21 days. To date, an estimated 240 health-care workers have been infected with Ebola in West Africa.

It appears that the magnitude of the Ebola outbreak, especially in Liberia and Sierra Leone, has been greatly underestimated. Quantities of staff, supplies, and equipment cannot keep up with the need. Hospital and diagnostic capacities have been overwhelmed. In response to the urgent need to dramatically scale up international action, the WHO has issued a roadmap to guide and coordinate the international response. The roadmap aims to stop Ebola transmission in affected countries within 6-9 months and prevent international spread of the disease, but the organization still warns that the number of Ebola cases could rise to 20,000.

Separately, Democratic Republic of Congo has detected an outbreak of Ebola in its northwestern province of Equateur that has killed at least 13 people. The index case and 80 contacts have no history of travel to the EVD-affected countries in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, or Sierra Leone) or history of contact with individuals from the affected areas. At this time, it is believed that the outbreak in DRC is unrelated to the ongoing outbreak in West Africa.

Outside of the four affected countries in West Africa and DRC, no new cases have been confirmed in other countries. 

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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