by Akan Ido
Contrary to World Health Organization (WHO) report indicating a 9 month window for containing the Ebola virus, American scientists report that this may take far longer than that.
Epidemiologists in the United States arrived at a 12-18 months figure after creating models of the epidemic for the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Department.
The New York Times reports that various researchers have said the virus could grow at a rate that could be closer to 20,000 per month.
The WHO is sticking to its estimates, a spokesman said on Friday.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is also working on its projections which it hopes to make public soon.
The CDC’s Dr. Thomas R. Frieden had recently raised an alarm over the development of the killer epidemic saying it is “spiralling out of control.”
Unlike previous outbreaks which have been kept at bay due to their confinement to rural areas, the current Ebola crisis is spreading rapidly in densely populated cities such as Monrovia, Liberia’s capital.
Recent figures from affected countries indicate that there had been 4,366 Ebola cases in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, including 2,218 deaths, more than half of them in Liberia.
The WHO and several others organizations have commended Nigeria for successfully containing the spread of the virus. Government officials however warn citizens that more vigilance is needed to completely eradicate the disease.
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