Presentation by Lauren Johnson

Ebola Facts
Names: Ebola virus disease (EVD), Ebola hemorrhagic
fever
Hemorrhage: A widespread or uncontrolled loss of blood
Transmission: Spreads through direct contact (through
broken skin or mucous membranes) with
blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola
Virus contaminated objects (like needles and syringes)
Infected animals
Ebola is not spread through air, by water, or from food
consumption
Mortality rate: 50%
However, mortality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past
outbreaks

Symptoms
Time interval from infection to onset of symptoms is 2
to 21 days
Humans are not infectious until they develop
symptoms
Symptoms:

Sudden onset of fever fatigue
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Rash, symptoms
Impaired kidney and liver function
Internal and external bleeding

Treatment
Available Treatments:
Supportive care-
rehydration with oral or
intravenous fluids
Treatment of specific
symptoms
Experimental: 2 potential
vaccines are undergoing
human safety testing


Recent Outbreak
2014 Ebola outbreak is largest Ebola outbreak
in history
First Ebola epidemic the world has ever known
Outbreak started in February 2014
First cases notified in March 2014
Total Cases as of September 21, 2014
Originated in Guinea


Guinea Background
Location: West Africa
Political Leader: Alpha Conde
History: Achieved independence from France in 1958
Economics: Poor country threatened by political instability and low
prices for its marketable items
Social: 3 large ethnic groups, each with their own language
Healthcare: 1 doctor/10,000 people
(2005), 3 hospital beds/10,000 people
(2011)
International significance: Seen as
safeguard against instability in
neighboring Liberia, Sierra Leone and
Ivory Coast

Guinea Outbreak
Reports received March 24, 2014
communicated 86 suspected cases of
Ebola, including 59 deaths
As of September 21, 2014
Total case count: 1022
Total Deaths: 635
Other countries impacted
by 2014 epidemic
Sierra Leone (597 deaths)
Liberia (1677 deaths)
Nigeria (8 deaths)
Senegal (1 case)
Additionally, separate,
unrelated outbreak in
Democratic Republic of
Congo.




Where is Ebola
now?
How does the 2014 Ebola
epidemic relate to the United
Nations?
UN Charter
Stated purpose of the United Nations:
To help nations work together to improve lives of
poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and
illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each
others rights and freedoms
Millennium Development Goals
MDGs: A set of 8
targets to be achieved
by 2015 developed by
member nations of the
UN for the purpose of
improving the global
quality of life
6
th
MDG directed at
combating disease
The WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for
health within the United Nations
WHOs Constitution came into action on 7 April 1948 (now
celebrated as World Health Day)

Responsible for providing
leadership on global health
matters

UN:
World Health Organiza
UN Response to Ebola Epidemic
UNMEER: UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response
(UNMEER)
first-ever UN emergency health mission
Instructed by the WHO
Temporary mission to respond to immediate needs related
to fight against Ebola
Objectives:
Stop the spread of the
disease within affected
countries
Treat the infected
Preserve stability
Prevent the spread to
countries currently
unaffected.
UN Response to Ebola Epidemic
Sent teams immediately to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone
Actions on the ground
Provision and coordination of transportation (i.e.
helicopters, maritime transport, fuel, land vehicles)
Establishment of mobile laboratory facilities
Establishment of non-Ebola medical clinics
Emergency medical evacuation capability for movement of
international aid workers potentially exposed to Ebola
Provision of high quality personal protective equipment
and training
Establishment of Ebola Treatment Centers

Social Challenges
in the Ebola
Epidemic
Sources
http://www.who.int/about/who_reform/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13442054
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6202/1369.full
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/gv.html
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/mdgovervie
w.html
http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/index.shtml
http://www.un.org/ebolaresponse/mission.shtml
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28827091