Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.brandonsun.com/national/...ent-spread-continues-who-274106021.html?thx=y
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Ebola cases could grow by thousands per week if current spread continues: WHO
By: Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
Friday, Sep. 5, 2014 at 3:27 PM
TORONTO - The World Health Organization is warning that the speed of spread in West Africa's raging Ebola outbreak could escalate in the coming weeks, with thousands of new cases a week by early October.
With the current rate of growth in the hundreds of new cases per week and no easing of the rate of transmission, a jump into the quadruple digits seems to be where this unprecedented outbreak is heading, an epidemiologist working in the office of WHO Director General Margaret Chan said Friday.
"The story is looking quite bleak. There are signs that the numbers of cases are not just continuing to arise in most parts that are already infected in the three main countries, but they are continuing to increase week on week," Christopher Dye, director of strategy in Chan's office, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"If we make a simple projection on what has happened over the last, say, 10 weeks ... and make a projection forward, then what we're faced with is not hundreds of cases a week, which is what we see at the moment, but thousands of cases a week going into next month.
"And that would really be an awful scenario because ... health services are already very seriously stretched."...
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Ebola cases could grow by thousands per week if current spread continues: WHO
By: Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
Friday, Sep. 5, 2014 at 3:27 PM
TORONTO - The World Health Organization is warning that the speed of spread in West Africa's raging Ebola outbreak could escalate in the coming weeks, with thousands of new cases a week by early October.
With the current rate of growth in the hundreds of new cases per week and no easing of the rate of transmission, a jump into the quadruple digits seems to be where this unprecedented outbreak is heading, an epidemiologist working in the office of WHO Director General Margaret Chan said Friday.
"The story is looking quite bleak. There are signs that the numbers of cases are not just continuing to arise in most parts that are already infected in the three main countries, but they are continuing to increase week on week," Christopher Dye, director of strategy in Chan's office, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"If we make a simple projection on what has happened over the last, say, 10 weeks ... and make a projection forward, then what we're faced with is not hundreds of cases a week, which is what we see at the moment, but thousands of cases a week going into next month.
"And that would really be an awful scenario because ... health services are already very seriously stretched."...