The 2014 Ebola Virus Outbreak in West Africa: Current Perspectives for Prevention and Treatment

Abstract

In 2014, West Africa has been the scene of the worst Ebola virus outbreak in history, with no end in sight [1-4]. This health crisis is reportedly associated with an outlier strain of Zaire Ebola virus [4]. While the first infections were reported in December of last year, the number of cases has literally exploded during the summer months of 2014, affecting mainly Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with a few cases in Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 13703 people have been infected by the Ebola virus as of October 27, resulting in 4922 fatalities [5]. The real figures are most likely higher as the healthcare systems in these countries have been overwhelmed by the large number of cases, the limited resources and the lack of basic facilities. While the local Ebola outbreaks in Senegal and Nigeria were declared over in October, the transmission remained persistent and widespread in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, especially in the capital cities of these countries. Notably, on a smaller scale, there has also been in 2014 a separate and independent outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which involved 66 cases and resulted in 49 deaths so far, although the situation there seems to remain under relative control [5].