The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for "drastic action" to prevent the spread of ebola.
The ebola outbreak taking place right now in Africa is the worst display of the illness since the disease was first discover in 1976. The number of cases, deaths and geographical spread are all worse than ever seen before.
"Recognizing that a coordinated regional response is essential, WHO is convening the leading health authorities from the affected and nearby countries in Accra, Ghana on July 2-3, to agree on a comprehensive operational response to control the Ebola outbreak," WHO officilas announced in a statement.
In Guinea, there have been 260 confirmed cases of ebola, with 87 probable and 43 suspected of having the disease. Of these 390 people, 270 have died from the virus. Sierra Leone reports as many as 158 people in that nation have the disease. Of these, 147 cases have been confirmed, eight are probable and three suspected. At least 34 people have died there from the disease. Liberia has seen the same number of deaths, from a total of 51 cases, with 34 confirmed. Around the region, more than 635 total cases have been reported or suspected. Nearly two-thirds of victims - 399 - have died from the disease.
"WHO is gravely concerned [by] the ongoing cross-border transmission into neighboring countries as well as the potential for further international spread," Louis Sambo, the UN agency's regional director in Africa, said in a statement about the outbreak.
Most previous outbreaks of the disease have taken place in scarcely-populated areas. Now, the virus is approaching Liberia's capital city, Monrovia, with a population of more than 420,000 people.
"The move of Ebola into cities is a double-edged sword. Cities have better hospitals, so Ebola patients can get better care and have a better chance of survival. [However,] cities are a hotbed of human interaction, and may help the virus to spread more rapidly," Ben Neuman, virologist at the University of Reading, said to VICE News.
The World Health Organization has deployed experts to the affected nations, in an effort to stem the spread of the outbreak before it can reach epidemic proportions.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever, which is spread through contact with blood or other body fluids. Once contracted, symptoms usually begin in less than 10 days. These include fever, headache, nausea and stomach pains. A rash can start, and victims may have trouble breathing and swallowing.
"[P]atients who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote on a web page about the illness.
