CDC: Over 50 Experts on Ground in West Africa Fighting Spread of Ebola
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MONROVIA, Liberia) — More than 50 experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are in West Africa battling the spread of the Ebola virus that has killed over 1,000 people thus far.
The CDC says that the promised surge of assistance that was expected to happen within 30 days of the announcement was completed in under two weeks. Additionally, the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center is currently operating at its highest level of alert — meaning over 350 U.S. staff members are working to support the agency’s response 24/7.
“We are fulfilling our promise to the people of West Africa, Americans, and the world, that CDC would quickly ramp up its efforts to help bring the worst Ebola outbreak in history under control,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement.
In total, 55 CDC experts have been deployed to the region, including 14 in Guinea, 18 in Liberia, 16 in Sierra Leone and seven in Nigeria.
“We know how to stop Ebola,” Frieden said. “It won’t be easy or fast, but working together with our U.S. and international partners and country leadership, together we are doing it.”
The CDC is working to stop the outbreak by identifying every individual who is sick with the disease and tracking their contacts to ensure that anyone who may have been exposed is checked for signs of the illness.
The World Health Organization provided an update on Wednesday, saying that there are now a total of 1,975 Ebola cases. The disease has thus far caused 1,069 deaths.
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