The World Health Organization says at least 8,153 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The Geneva-based body said that the total number of confirmed, probable and suspected deaths from the disease comes from 20,656 cases in the three most affected countries, a mortality rate of 39 percent.
The U.N. health agency says 2,915 deaths have been reported from Sierra Leone, 3,471 in Liberia and 1,767 in Guinea. The current outbreak, which began about a year ago, has also claimed more than dozen lives elsewhere.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood, vomit or feces.
Largest ebola outbreak in history
By the time the outbreak was officially declared over in June 2016, the numbers had nearly doubled from the January 2015 figures. Final counts indicate approximately 28,616 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases and 11,310 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
The final country-by-country statistics:
| Country | Total Cases | Total Deaths |
| Guinea | 3,811 | 2,543 |
| Liberia | 10,675 | 4,809 |
| Sierra Leone | 14,124 | 3,956 |
| Total (3 countries) | 28,610 | 11,308 |
Patient zero
The West African Ebola outbreak is believed to have begun with a single index case in a remote area of southeastern Guinea. On December 26, 2013, a 2-year-old boy in the village of Meliandou fell ill with a mysterious fever and died two days later. Retrospective investigations later identified this child as West Africa’s first Ebola case.
The virus likely spilled over from wild animals: the region’s dense forests are home to Ebola-carrying fruit bats and other wildlife, and community hunting practices may have brought humans into contact with an infected animal.
By March 2014, Ebola cases in Guinea reached a critical mass and drew attention. On March 21, 2014, Guinean health officials and the Institut Pasteur laboratory in Dakar confirmed Ebola virus as the cause of a cluster of severe illnesses. Two days later (March 23), Guinea’s Ministry of Health officially notified WHO of the outbreak, marking the first recognized Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Rapid spread across borders
Despite efforts to contain it, the virus had already spread. In late March and April 2014, cases were detected across the border in Liberia, and by May 2014 Ebola had entered Sierra Leone via travelers from Guinea. From the forested origin region, the epidemic quickly jumped to urban centers: by mid-2014 it reached the capital cities Conakry, Monrovia, and Freetown, greatly accelerating transmission.
The global response to the West Africa Ebola crisis grew from a trickle in early 2014 to a massive multi-national effort by late 2014. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was on the frontlines from the very beginning. They treated the first patients in Guinea and raised alarm as the outbreak expanded.
In late June 2014, MSF warned that “the epidemic is out of control” and that they had “reached our limits,” urging a far larger international intervention.
By August 2014, WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency, which helped galvanize resources. The UN Security Council convened a special session in September 2014 (an unprecedented move for a health issue) and established the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) – the first-ever UN emergency health mission – to coordinate international aid.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Center in 2014 and ultimately executed 2,700+ deployments of personnel to West Africa – the largest deployment in CDC’s history.
