Ebola outbreak: Timeline of outbreak in West Africa
Ebola, a rare and often fatal disease, caused by Ebola virus and spreads through mucous and other body fluid or secretions such as stool, urine, saliva and semen of infected people. Ebola is not an airborne virus. It claimed lives of more than 8000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone worst hit by the disease last year.
December 2013
The first case was reported from Gueckedou in Guinea in December 2013 when a 2-year-old died after suffering for four days with an unidentified hemorrhagic fever. His mother died a week later while his 3-year-old sister died on December 29.
January
2014
People
came
in
contact
with
the
virus
when
they
attended
the
funeral
of
"Patient
Zero's"
grandmother
who
died
on
January
1.
Her
village,
Meliandou,
is
located
near
to
the
Sierra
Leone
and
Liberian
borders.
February 2014
Fever, vomiting and severe diarrhea were reported among people of Macenta, Nzérékoré and Kissidougou, Guinea. People like health workers, and families who came in contact with these infected people also fell sick.
What is Ebola? Know its symptoms
March 2014
At
least
60
MSF
field
workers
went
to
Guinea
to
help
to
stop
outbreak.
112
suspected
and
confirmed
Ebola
cases
including
70
deaths
were
reported
in
Guinea.
Liberia
got
two
confirmed
cases
and
Sierra
Leone
recorded
two
suspected
deaths.
Travel
and
trade
recommendations
were
also
recommended
for
the
affected
countries.
By
March
end
some
122
cases
were
reported
mostly
in
Guinea.
April
2014
Number
of
cases
reached
to
157.
May 2014
A total of 226 Ebola cases, including 149 deaths were reported by Guinea's health minister. Liberia has 13 cases, 11 deaths.
June 2014
WHO
says
more
than
600
cases
and
390
deaths
have
been
reported
in
Guinea,
Liberia
and
Sierra
Leone.
The
mortality
rate
can
be
up
to
90%.
July 2014
By
end
of
July
around
1,201
people
got
infected
(Guinea
427,
Liberia
249,
Sierra
Leone
525)
and
killed
672
people
(Guinea
319,
Liberia
129,
Sierra
Leone
224),
according
to
the
WHO.
Patrick
Sawyer
becomes
the
first
American
citizen
to
die
of
the
Ebola.
Sierra
Leone's
leading
Ebola
doctor
Dr.
Sheik
Humarr
Khan
died
after
treating
patients
for
Ebola
at
Kenema
Government
Hospital.
August 2014
A businessman with Ebola died in Saudi Arabia. He had been to Sierra Leone for work. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared a state of emergency for 90 days because of the deadly outbreak. Ivory Coast closed the border it shares with Guinea and Liberia and by end of August over 3000 people got infected with the Ebola virus.
September 2014
Ebola has orphaned about 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
October 2014
Ebola screenings started at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Some 4,546 people have died from Ebola. There had been 10,141 Ebola cases in eight affected countries since the outbreak began with, 4,922 deaths, according to WHO.
December 2014
TIME magazine named "The Ebola Fighters" as its 2014 "Person of the Year."