November 24, 2014 We know the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is really bad. But exactly how bad remains largely a mystery.
There have been 15,351 reported Ebola cases and 5,459 reported deaths, according to the most recent estimates released by the World Health Organization on Nov. 21. The vast majority of these are concentrated in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
But the numbers are ballpark figures, based on reports from the affected countries. While they provide important information about the trajectory of the epidemic and how response efforts are working, officials warn that the totals are likely pretty far off base.
And there's a real danger in relying too heavily on these shifting figures: Prematurely altering response strategy based on some recent positive signs can wipe out progress that has been made in containing the epidemic.
"The numbers we're using for Ebola cases are the best numbers we have from health ministries and Ebola treatment centers working on the ground, but they do go through revisions and often change," said WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein. "We're doing our best to refine the data and get it as accurate as we can, … but there's not always 100 percent accuracy."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/heal...-know-how-many-ebola-cases-there-are-20141124
There have been 15,351 reported Ebola cases and 5,459 reported deaths, according to the most recent estimates released by the World Health Organization on Nov. 21. The vast majority of these are concentrated in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
But the numbers are ballpark figures, based on reports from the affected countries. While they provide important information about the trajectory of the epidemic and how response efforts are working, officials warn that the totals are likely pretty far off base.
And there's a real danger in relying too heavily on these shifting figures: Prematurely altering response strategy based on some recent positive signs can wipe out progress that has been made in containing the epidemic.
"The numbers we're using for Ebola cases are the best numbers we have from health ministries and Ebola treatment centers working on the ground, but they do go through revisions and often change," said WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein. "We're doing our best to refine the data and get it as accurate as we can, … but there's not always 100 percent accuracy."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/heal...-know-how-many-ebola-cases-there-are-20141124
