The worst Ebola outbreak in history was the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, the largest and deadliest ever recorded, affecting Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, with over 28,600 cases and more than 11,000 deaths, significantly impacting public health globally and highlighting vulnerabilities in international response.
The number of cases peaked in October 2014 and then began to decline gradually, following the commitment of substantial international resources. Note: current estimates suggest that between 17 percent and 70 percent of Ebola cases were unreported, suggesting a total number of cases between 34,513 and 94,486.
Ebola is a virus that causes severe inflammation and tissue damage throughout the body. It is known as a hemorrhagic fever virus, because it can cause problems with the clotting system of the body and lead to internal bleeding, as blood leaks from small blood vessels.
Latest numbers as of 3 July 2020
Total of 3481 cases (3323 confirmed, 158 probable). Of these, 2299 people died and 1162 survived.
The first human EBOD case in the West Africa outbreak (2014 to 2016) was likely infected via exposure to bats. In addition to bats, EBOD has also been documented in people who handled infected chimpanzees, gorillas and forest antelopes, both dead and alive, in Cote d'Ivoire, the Republic of the Congo and Gabon.
On September 3, 2025, DRC's national lab – the Institut National de la Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa – confirmed Ebola virus in samples collected from the first suspect cases. The outbreak was declared over on December 1, 2025, with 53 confirmed cases, 11 probable cases, and 45 deaths.
He died on Dec. 6, 2013, at age 2, and the domino effect of his illness has spiraled into the outbreak currently ravaging three nations in West Africa. His name was Emile Ouamouno. Emile's 3-year-old sister, his mother and his grandmother all died by January, leaving his father behind.
Ebola has a mortality rate of 25–90% depending on treatment, and averages a mortality rate of approximately 50%. Death is often due to shock from fluid loss, and typically occurs between 6 and 16 days after the first symptoms appear.
Rabies virus has a characteristic bullet-shaped virion structure. Rabies virus infection in mammals is nearly 100% fatal if left untreated.
Ebola is a serious disease with a high fatality rate. Unfortunately, there are no available medications to cure Ebola, and there is no vaccine or medicine to prevent Ebola.
Scientists believe African fruit bats are involved in the spread of orthoebolaviruses. These fruit bats may be the source of the virus. Infected animals can spread the virus to other animals through contact with infected body fluids or items contaminated by these fluids.
Ebola virus disease (hereafter Ebola) has a high fatality rate; currently lacks a treatment or vaccine with proven safety and efficacy, and thus many people fear this infection.
Ebola is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever that can cause serious illness and death in up to 9 in 10 people infected. Currently, there are no cases of Ebola reported outside of the DRC, and the risk to people in the United States is low.
The 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. This was the seventh outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease since its discovery. There were more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined.
Vaccines Were Developed at Record Speed
While vaccinating those who have had contact with an infected individual and their contacts—known as ring vaccination—has been effective in controlling the spread of the Zaire ebolavirus, the two licensed Ebola vaccines do not offer protection against the Sudan ebolavirus.
The Ebola virus epidemic burst in West Africa in late 2013, started in Guinea, reached in a few months an alarming diffusion, actually involving several countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mali).
The number one killer in the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, responsible for about one-third of all global deaths, claiming nearly 18-20 million lives annually, and remains the leading cause across all regions, according to WHO and World Heart Federation. While COVID-19 caused significant deaths in recent years, CVD has consistently held the top spot for decades, with increases seen globally, especially in younger populations.
It is true that about 8% of the human genome consists of remnants of ancient retroviruses, known as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). However, these viral sequences are nonfunctional fossil DNA, the result of infections that integrated into germline cells millions of years ago. Over time, mutations have inactivated them.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 illness surpassed a grim milestone in early July. The number of deaths from Covid-19 in Africa—more than 11,950—exceeded the total number of people who died during the largest-ever Ebola outbreak in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
Heart diseases were the most common cause, responsible for a third of all deaths globally. Cancers were in second, causing almost one-in-five deaths. Taken together, heart diseases and cancers are the cause of every second death. In red are infectious diseases, which are responsible for around 1-in-7 deaths.
MVD is caused by the Marburg virus, a highly contagious pathogen in the Filoviridae family, which also includes Ebola. The virus, first identified in 1967, can persist in immune-protected areas of the body, such as the testicles and the eye, even in recovered patients.
Symptoms of Ebola include: fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite and abnormal bleeding. These symptoms are not specific to Ebola and are often seen with other illnesses.
End of outbreak declared
On December 1, 2025, the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the end of the Ebola virus disease outbreak. DRC is now in a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance.
93 Days, directed by Steve Gukas, is a 2016 Nigerian film inspired by the real-life events of Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American lawyer who arrived in Lagos on July 20, 2014. Sawyer, already in a sickly state, had travelled to Nigeria to represent the Liberian government in a conference.