With just under 5,000 confirmed cases and over 2,450 deaths, the worst ever outbreak of the infectious disease Ebola continues to grow. Labelled a looming threat to global security by US president Barack Obama, the epidemic is nowhere near being brought under control. Widespread transmission continues in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while there are hopes that the spread is more limited in Nigeria and Senegal.
Announcing the deployment of 3,000 troops to West Africa, including engineers and healthcare professionals, Obama said the US would establish a command-and-control centre in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. The US plan calls for the establishment of 17 Ebola treatment centres with 100 beds each; training thousands of local healthcare workers; and creating an "air bridge" to ensure that medical supplies and personnel reach West Africa more speedily. Meanwhile, Cuba is targeting Sierra Leone, where some 165 doctors and nurses will join locals in attempting to stem the tide of infection.
The continuing spread of the viral haemorrhagic fever reflects the breakdown of already weak public-health infrastructure in the countries affected, rather than particular virulence. Indeed the survival rate in this Ebola outbreak compares favourably with previous outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976.
But with small numbers of local medical personnel now infected, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that an additional 10,000 local health workers are needed for adequate infection control. It is painstaking work, involving the rigorous follow-up of those who have come in contact with those infected as well as educating communities about unsafe burial practices. It will take some months.
Professionals working on the frontline of the outbreak must be given all available tools to quickly diagnose, isolate and treat those infected. Communication between professionals, patients and authorities must be streamlined. And there must be no delay in getting experimental drugs and vaccines to West Africa.