2014 Ebola Response*

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2014 saw the first recognized Ebola epidemic in human history. CDC’s response began in March. By July, CDC had activated its Emergency Operations Center and deployed an international team of responders to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. CDC helped contain cases that appeared in Nigeria and Senegal to prevent further spread. In August, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

In the U.S., two imported cases resulted in one death and two nurses being infected after treating an Ebola patient. These cases demonstrated how vulnerable the world is to diseases that are just an airplane flight away.

CDC and its partners took precautions to prevent additional Ebola cases in the U.S. and continued training healthcare workers. In West Africa, CDC professionals helped reduce cases and strengthen the public health system. CDC is committed to fight Ebola until the world reaches zero cases.

STOPPING EBOLA in the U.S. (2014)

• Arranged for 46 Ebola treatment centers with 67 available beds.
• Deployed Rapid Ebola Preparedness teams to more than 75 U.S. healthcare facilities.
• Approved 52 labs in CDC’s Laboratory Response Network to test for Ebola (first Ebola test took 24 hours; current tests take only 4 to 6 hours).
• Trained more than 150,000 healthcare workers via webinars and more than 525,000 via online clinical resources.
• Established entry screening at five major U.S. airports and screened more than 5,000 travelers coming from countries with Ebola outbreaks.

STOPPING EBOLA GLOBALLY (2014)

• Sent CDC health experts on more than 600 deployments to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
• Trained more than 10,000 frontline healthcare staff.
• Staffed laboratories in West Africa, including one in Sierra Leone that tested more than 10,000 samples.
• Assessed more than 230 treatment centers for capabilities in caring for patients with Ebola.

*Numbers reflect 2014 only.