World Health Organization: West Africa Ebola Outbreak Could Infect 20,000 People

Ebola Virus Could Infect 20,000 Before Outbreak Is Over, World Health Organization Says -- Washington Post

The worst Ebola outbreak in history is only getting worse.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the outbreak that has ravaged West Africa could infect 20,000 people before it is over. With 1,552 deaths recorded so far, the virus is certain to claim more lives than all of the previous Ebola outbreaks combined.

At least 3,069 people are believed to have been infected in the current outbreak, but WHO officials believe that the real tally is far higher.

“[I]n many areas of intense transmission the actual number of cases may be 2-4 fold higher than that currently reported,” the organization said. It added that “the aggregate case load of [Ebola] could exceed 20,000 over the course of this emergency.”

Read more ....

More News On The World Health Organization Reporting That The West Africa Ebola Outbreak Could Infect 20,000 People

Ebola caseload could exceed 20,000 in course of emergency, UN response roadmap shows -- UN News Centre
West Africa Ebola outbreak could infect 20,000 people, WHO says -- Reuters
Ebola Virus Outbreak Could Hit 20,000 Within Nine Months, Warns WHO -- WSJ
Ebola toll tops 1,550, outbreak accelerates: WHO -- Reuters
Aid Group: Ebola Response 'Chaotic and Entirely Inadequate' -- US News and World Report
IMF says Ebola having 'acute' impact on West African economies -- Reuters
Ebola outbreak still accelerating -- Science AAAS
Ebola outbreak: Six reasons why it's out of control -- CTV

World Health Organization (WHO) Has Declared Ebola 'An International Emergency'

WHO: Ebola 'An International Emergency' -- BBC

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the spread of Ebola in West Africa is an international health emergency.

WHO officials said a co-ordinated response was essential to stop and reverse the spread of the virus.

In Nigeria, one of the latest countries to be affected, President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a national state of emergency.

More than 960 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year, two of them in Nigeria, the WHO says.

There were 68 new cases and 29 deaths reported over the course of two days this week, the United Nations health agency revealed on Friday.

It brings the total number of cases to 1,779.

Read more ....

More News On The World Health Organization (WHO) Declaring Ebola 'An International Emergency

W.H.O. Declares Ebola in West Africa a Health Emergency -- New York Times
WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency -- The Guardian
WHO: Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international health emergency -- CNN
Ebola outbreak declared a public health emergency by World Health Organization -- FOX News
Ebola Death Toll Reaches 961 People - WHO -- RIA Novosti
WHO Declares Public Health Emergency as Ebola Continues to Spread -- US News and World Report
Nigeria Braces for More Ebola Cases Amid Outbreak -- Time
Ebola patients in west Africa to be denied experimental drugs used in US -- The Guardian
Treating Ebola in Sierra Leone: 'We are two steps behind' -- CNN

Disease Expert Warns That Terrorists Could Make A 'Dirty Bomb' Containing Ebola

Terrorists Could Use Ebola To Create Dirty Bomb To Kill Large Numbers In The UK, Says Cambridge University Disease Expert -- Daily Mail

* Dr Peter Walsh says group such as Al Qaeda could use virus to create bomb
* Biological anthropologist says risk of Ebola reaching UK is small
* 'Bigger risk' is that terrorists manage to harness virus, says expert
* Bomb could cause 'large number' of horrific deaths

The deadly Ebola virus could be used by terrorists to create a dirty bomb capable of killing large numbers of people in the UK, a Cambridge University disease expert has warned.

As fears grow over the spread of the disease across parts of West Africa, biological anthropologist Dr Peter Walsh said that although the risk of it reaching the UK was small, a group such as Al Qaeda could use the virus to create a weapon.

There is currently no vaccine and no cure for Ebola, which kills up to 90 per cent of its victims.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That terrorists Could Build A 'Dirty Bomb' Containing Ebola

Disease Expert Warns Terrorists Could Make Dirty Bomb Containing Ebola -- CBS News
Could Make Dirty Bomb Containing Ebola -- Zee News
Terrorists could use Ebola virus to make bomb, says anthropologist -- DNA
UK raises fears of Ebola “dirty bomb” as doctor Kent Brantly ‘improves’ after taking experimental antibody serum -- News.com.au

My Comment: I have doubts that such a weapon is feasible .... and even if it was .... I doubt that it will be effective in making a significant number of people sick. But the psychological impact of such a bomb going off in a major populated city would be completely off the scale.

The Ebola Epidemic Is 'Picking Up Speed' In Africa

Ebola Death Toll Rises To 887 As Spread Of Disease Picks Up Speed -- L.A. Times

The deadly Ebola virus sweeping through West Africa continues to accelerate, according to numbers released Monday by the World Health Organization.

The virus has now claimed at least 887 lives, the WHO reported, with 163 new cases and 61 deaths in just two days.

The latest update indicates the disease is picking up speed, with the number of new infections surging by 33% over the last three-day report ending July 27, and three new cases reported in Nigeria, the latest country to be hit by the disease.

Of the four cases there, three were classified as “probable,” and one was “suspected,” the WHO said.

Read more ....

More News On The Ebola Epidemic

Ebola deaths soar to 887 as Nigeria confirms 2nd case -- CBC/AP
Sierra Leone, Liberia deploy troops as Ebola toll hits 887 -- Reuters
Ebola crisis: NY patient tested after return from Africa -- BBC
NYC hospital testing patient for possible Ebola -- WSJ
World Bank Pledges Up to $200 Million to Fight Ebola -- WSJ
Ebola crisis: World Bank announces $200m emergency fund -- BBC
Ebola outbreak: end of epidemic could be in sight, says scientist -- The Telegraph
Ebola panic more lethal than the virus -- Washington Times
Why Ebola is hitting people in Africa hard -- BBC
Timeline: How the recent Ebola epidemic turned into the worst yet -- First Post
25 Critical Facts About This Ebola Outbreak That Every American Needs To Know -- Zero hedge

West Africa's Ebola Epidemic Is Now 'Out Of Control' Says Charity

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The latest outbreak of Ebola is the most severe since the disease was discovered in 1976. So far the disease has spread from a village in Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria

How Deadly Ebola Has Spread Across The Globe: Health Officials Try To Trace 30,000 Linked To Death Of US Victim - As Nigerian Film Star Sparks Outrage By Fleeing Africa First-Class In An Ebola Mask -- Daily Mail

* Hong Kong woman quarantined when she fell ill after returning from Kenya
* Expert claims panic over death of U.S. man in Nigeria is 'justified'
* He warned the spread of Ebola could become a global pandemic
* Health campaigners petition U.S. drug authorities to fast-track potential cure
* Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declares disease is 'very serious threat'
* He will chair an emergency meeting on how to boost defences
* British airlines are also on 'red alert' for cases of the deadly virus
* Man with 'feverish' symptoms tested for deadly Ebola at Birmingham hospital
* He had travelled into Midlands from Benin, Nigeria via France when he fell ill
* Charing Cross Hospital staff also feared man had Ebola symptoms this week
* No cases have been confirmed in UK but 672 people have died in West Africa
* Warning issued to GPs, A&E departments and all NHS trusts across the UK
* Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and damage to the nervous system
Fears of a global Ebola pandemic are 'justified' an expert has said as Nigerian health officials try to trace 30,000 people at risk of contracting the deadly disease following the death of Patrick Sawyer.

The U.S. citizen boarded a flight in Liberia carrying the disease to Nigeria, potentially infecting 'anyone on the same plane'.

It comes as Nigerian actor Jim Iyke sparked outrage, posting a picture of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he fled Liberia.

The 'Nollywood' star posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600 people have already died from the disease.

The death toll for this, the worst outbreak recorded since the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, stands at 672, while more than 1,200 people have been infected.

Read more ....

More News On The Ebola Outbreak In Western Africa

Ebola epidemic 'out of control' says charity -- Al Jazeera
World Ebola fears grow with Europe and Asia on alert -- AFP
Global authorities on alert over Ebola outbreak -- USA Today
Peace Corps Pulling Volunteers From Ebola-Affected Countries -- ABC News
Peace Corps removing volunteers as Ebola virus spreads in W. Africa; two placed in isolation -- Washington Post
New fears about Ebola spread after plane scare -- AP
Suspected U.S. Ebola victim in Nigeria had planned to visit Minnesota -- L.A. Times
Stopping deadly Ebola outbreak will be a 'marathon,' CDC says -- FOX News/Live Science
Surviving Ebola: For those who live through it, what lies ahead? -- CBS
Here are the 35 countries one flight away from Ebola-affected countries -- Quartz
Should we be worried about an Ebola outbreak in the UK? -- Hugh Pennington, The Guardian
What Ebola on a Plane Means for the U.S. -- Kent Sepkowitz, Daily Beast
What would happen if Ebola came to the United States? -- Susannah Locke, VOX
The Ebola Outbreak -- New York Times editorial

Ebola Out Of Control In Western Africa

Second American Aid Worker Is Infected With Ebola In Africa Amid Fears Biggest Ever Outbreak Of Incurable Virus Will Spread Around The World -- Daily Mail

* Nancy Writebol was working in Liberia for a charity when she caught the terrifying disease
* American doctor Kent Brantly was already being treated at a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia after he tested positive
* Two high profile Ebola researchers from Sierra Leone and Liberia have also caught the illness - one died Sunday
* The virus has appeared in large West African cities for the first time. An outbreak in heavily populated Lagos, Nigeria could be devastating
* The excruciating and grisly illness causes victims to bleed from the skin and kills 90 percent of those infected

A second American citizen has now become infected with the deadly Ebola virus as the worst outbreak ever of the terrifying and grisly disease rages through four West African nations.

Nancy Writebol, an American working for a charity organization in Liberia has tested positive for the virus officials announced Sunday.

While her condition was not released. Writebol is undoubtedly fighting for her life against the virus, which kills 90 percent of those infected.

Read more ....

More News On Ebola Spreading In West Africa

Ebola outbreak: Liberia shuts most border points -- BBC
Liberia Shuts Border Crossings, Restricts Gatherings To Curb Ebola Spreading -- Reuters
Ebola forces Liberia to shut border crossings -- Al Jazeera
Ebola spreads while fears keep out help -- Houston Chronicle/New York Times
Nigeria death shows Ebola can spread by air travel -- AP
Two infected Americans, a dead Liberian doctor, and the worst-ever Ebola outbreak -- Washington Post
Ebola virus spreads to Liberia medical staff -- Al Jazeera
Two Americans Have Now Been Diagnosed With Ebola in Record Outbreak -- Daily Beast
Liberia: top doctor becomes latest Ebola victim -- The Guardian
Two Americans Stricken With Deadly Ebola Virus in Liberia -- NBC
Ebola now taking toll on doctors -- USA Today
Q&A: why the Ebola outbreak is causing such concern -- Financial Times
What Is Ebola? -- ABC News
What is Ebola, and how worried should we be? -- The Telegraph