The current outbreak of the Ebola virus, already the worst in recorded history, could become worse and infect as many as 1.4 million other people in the countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia by the end of January next year, based on a statistical forecast that was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to this, the New England Journal of Medicine also issued a warning that Ebola virus could reach an endemic status that means it might never be brought fully under control and affect other countries outside of West Africa.
In relation to this, however, Director of the CDC, Tom Frieden, declared that these estimated values did not take into consideration action plans that have been taken, or will still be carried out, by United States and other members of the international community who are all stepping up their efforts to fight the deadly virus. He said that although global help is bound to make a difference, the timeframe remains crucial to the alleviation of the current crisis. "A surge now can break the back of the epidemic, but delay is extremely costly." he said.
The current situation in West Africa is far from encouraging, with victims dying due to overstretched medical resources that do not allow them access to proper health care. Most of the infected are forced to receive home treatment where they are most definitely passing on the infection to their caregivers. These circumstances lead to unreported cases, leading experts from the CDC to believe that there will be tens of thousands more infected by the end of this month alone. A recent report from the agency said that, "Extrapolating trends to January 20, 2015, without additional interventions or changes in community behavior (e.g. notable reductions in unsafe burial practices), the model also estimates that Liberia and Sierra Leone will have approximately 550,000 Ebola cases (1.4 million when corrected for under reporting)."
