Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, has issued a warning to world government officials to increase their aid to stop the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa before it's too late. He warned the the window of opportunity to stop the disease before it spreads out of control is quickly closing, and that it's in everyone's best interests to step up aid now to prevent what could be a disastrous, deadly global epidemic soon.
Frieden returned recently from a trip to West Africa, where four countries have been battling the Ebola epidemic for the past few weeks. Recently, a case of Ebola was found in Senegal, meaning that the virus has spread to a fifth West African country. A young man from Guinea traveled to Senegal, where he fell ill with Ebola. He was eventually hospitalized, but may have spread the disease to other people in Senegal. The WHO has declared his case a top priority emergency.
The latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that so far Ebola has killed over 1,552 people, and that over 3,069 have been infected with the fast-spreading disease.
"This is not just a problem for West Africa, it's not just a problem for Africa. It's a problem for the world, and the world needs to respond," Frieden said today, September 2, 2014. "Like it or not, we live in an interconnected world."
There is not currently any treatment for Ebola that has proven to be effective. Experimental drugs are in the works, but they are still far away from ready for curing the disease in humans. The only known way to stop the spread of Ebola is to isolate and quarantine all people who have been infected.
Frieden said that during his visit to countries in West Africa where the disease is currently spreading, he saw that the nations were woefully ill-equipped to handle the disease. Bringing in aid from other countries, especially in improving the rapid response to the disease, could be hugely beneficial in stopping the spread.
Recently, a third aid worker from America was infected with Ebola. The doctor had not been working in the hospital's Ebola ward.
In his talks with reporters today, Frieden stressed how important it was to take immediate action on Ebola in West Africa before things become worse. "The challenge isn't knowing what to do. The challenge is doing it now," Frieden said.
