2014 West Africa Outbreak

The Guinean Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Liberia, and the Nigerian Ministry of Health are working with national and international partners to investigate and respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. As of August 22, 2014, the suspected and confirmed case count was 2,615.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. The first Ebola virus was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks of Ebola among humans have appeared sporadically in Africa. Public health professionals are using contact tracing to attempt to stop the disease from spreading. View this CDC infographic to learn more about contact tracing.

Visit the CDC web page for more information on Ebola and the current outbreak, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/index.html