The deadliest Ebola outbreak ever [1] with 700 deaths since March has hit the West Africa region hard. The countries affected by the outbreak so far are Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
The first case was detected on 9 February in the forest of Guinea [2]. The virus quickly spread to the capital city Conakry and then in the neighboring nations of Liberia and Sierra Leone. In total, 59 deaths from Ebola were reported in Guinea in March. As the virus quickly spread, it has now been reported in Lagos, Nigeria [3], in one of the most populated cities of the region. American aid worker Dr. Kent Brantly and his co-workers Nancy Writebol became infected with Ebola while working in a Monrovia treatment center; they were evacuated to Emory University [4] near the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control for treatments. The fact that the treatments available in the US were not made available immediately in West Africa has now become a controversial topic among African observers.
Here are four infographics to recap the current situation on the ground:
1. General summary of the Ebola outbreak (via @thedailymonitor as of 01/08/2014)
#INFOGRAPHIC [5]: The west African #Ebola [6] outbreak has now claimed more than 700 lives. pic.twitter.com/4UhL3xfOwZ [7]
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) August 1, 2014 [8]
2. Treatment centers available in the region versus reported cases (via @aiddata, 01/07/2014)
Noon #ARC [9] Highlight @dadakim [10]: #Ebola [6] outbreak spotlights limits of local & intl response http://t.co/89uz33DFEJ [11] @ajam [12] pic.twitter.com/D8U0pUaTyd [13]
— AidData (@AidData) July 31, 2014 [14]
3. How to recognize the symptoms of the Ebola virus and what to do (via @4eyedmonk in Nigeria and @katiejames)
An official death due to the Ebola virus has been reported in Lagos. Here is what you need to know about the virus.. pic.twitter.com/wbb3B7pT46 [15]
— Henry Okelue (@4eyedmonk) July 25, 2014 [16]
Ebola Symptoms lets all RT #Ebola [6] #EbolaOutbreak [17] #Ebolasymptoms [18] pic.twitter.com/cmr4SdHIOh [19]
— Katie James (@_Katie_James_) July 29, 2014 [20]
4. Understanding the ecology of Ebola (via the CDC)
[21]The ecology of Ebola by the CDC – Public Domain
Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa [22]