New modeling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the current Ebola outbreak could rival the worst on record — and the window to stop it’s closing fast. Without immediate intervention, the CDC projects more than 20,000 people could be sickened over the next three months.
The figures, published Thursday, June 5, represent a worst-case trajectory the agency says is avoidable if containment measures are launched now. No specific response actions were detailed in the modeling release, but the CDC’s projection carries urgency by the numbers alone.
Twenty thousand cases in 90 days would dwarf most outbreaks in the disease’s recorded history. The 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic — the deadliest Ebola crisis to date — killed more than 11,000 people across three countries over roughly two years. The CDC’s current modeling suggests that pace could be compressed dramatically if the outbreak isn’t brought under control.
The CDC hasn’t said where the outbreak is centered or specified what response capacity is already on the ground. Those details weren’t included in the modeling release cited by NPR.
Reported by NPR. Read the original report.
