Ebola Virus in West Africa By: Maddie and David

Where and When did it Originate? Sub regions of Africa such as Zaire Sudan Yambuku Nigeria (before it came to US) - occurred first in reappeared in deadliest occurrence breakout 1976

How is it spread? Eating bush meat that carries the disease Bush meat- a variety of African wildlife that live in forests, deserts, and savannahs Spreads through direct contact of blood or body fluids with person who shows symptoms of Ebola Doesn’t spread through air, water, food, or mosquitos Contact through sweat was common during the midsummer of Africa

When did the spreading of Ebola and the severity of it subside? Ebola comes in waves Comes back revolutionized stronger every few years Africa Came Nigeria 2014, able travel US Came US infected tourists, spread family Comes random points; unpredictable

Why is it difficult to stop/ slow the rate of Ebola in Africa? Sub regions of Africa, health care not available makes it impossible to control or regulate virus Spreads quickly, can't be tracked Can't tell where it is until someone shows symptoms, then die Causes large outbreaks in less sanitized areas with larger populations Vaccine isn't reproduced quick enough for everyone Need health care to get vaccine

How Does It Kill? First disarms immune system Dismantles vascular system Damages blood cells which causes sudden drop in blood pressure When blood pressure drops, sends victim into shock or multiple organ failure Both results are fatal if not attended to immediately

Where has it spread to and how sever was it? Spread everywhere in Africa Liberia, Democratic republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria Sierra Leone- 3,955 deaths; Liberia- 4,809; Guinea- 2,536; Nigeria- 8 Different amount because of location and medical advancement Spread everywhere quickly, lasted around a year in most parts

What areas are venerable to Ebola the most? Why? UK because unable produce vaccines consistent dependable rate growing population less sanitized areas or areas not advanced medical field Places medical care/help hard access Poorer areas no access hospitals because high cost no health insurance

How have African governments responded? Countries like Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone tried to restrict the movement of people who had been infected President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia had the most effective efforts to try and prevent the outbreak from spreading These efforts included: reducing human contact by banning soccer and showing informative films in public places, like restaurants and entertainment venues and appointing a task force to travel to spread awareness to different countries

How have NGO's been involved with this issue? Numerous international organizations responded to the sudden outbreak These organizations sent medical supplies and personnel, which helped to improve infrastructure, work in labs and support medical teams in Africa Some organizations involved were: World Health Organization, the UN, the Economic Community of West African States, the World Food Program, Samaritan's Purse, and Doctors without Borders They also would spread awareness and give out info on Ebola within different community

How successful have these attempts been The organizations that were involved in trying to salvage African health were both successful and unsuccessful. The World Health Organization did at first botch its attempts to control the virus, due to incompetent staff and lack of information, but ended up being one of the greatest factors in stopping Ebola However, in both the US and in Africa, there were vaccines that were able to stop the virus in many infected people

Bibliography Ebola outbreak, 2014–2015." World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, Web. 9 Feb Olcott, Grant. "Ebola: How Local Governments Can Respond." World Policy Blog. N.p., 14 Aug Web. 5 Feb " World Health Organization admits botching attempts to stop Ebola in West Africa." NY Daily News. Associated Press, 17 Oct Web. 5 Feb