Africa is now experiencing the worst Ebola virus outbreak recorded in history since its discovery in 1976. But today it’s no longer just hitting faraway places.
According to World Health Organization, the first case of Ebola was diagnosed and confirmed in a U.S. hospital Sept. 30.
Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan, who flew from Liberia to Texas, first went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Sept. 25 suffering from fever and vomiting. He was later diagnosed with Ebola and at press time was isolated and being treated.
President Barack Obama spoke in a September press conference about the worldwide situation. “If the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us,” he said.
Spread from wild animals to humans and from humans to humans through contact with blood or other bodily fluids, the deadly virus has swept across Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and infected one person in Senegal.
“This is a global threat and it demands a truly global response,” Obama said.
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