Crisis Overview
An Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, which started in Guinea in December 2013 but was only declared in March, has now spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. As of 13 August, the cumulative number of cases reported in the four countries was 2,240, including 1,229 deaths, yielding a case fatality rate (CFR) of 54.9%.
On 8 August, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and all four countries affected by the virus have now declared national states of emergency, with Sierra Leone and Nigeria placing their epidemic hotspots under quarantine.
More than one million people are in need of daily material support, including food, in the ‘hot zone of disease transmission’ at the intersection of the Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone borders.