THE CASE FATALITY RATE OF EBOLA (CFR) written by Eli Joel (Environmental Scientist) People are afraid of EBOLA because of the inadequate knowledge about the ebola virus that has killed almost 1,000 people in West Africa this year is fatal for up to 90% of those infected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But note the words up to... What is the normal fatality rate, asks James Fletcher? The WHO describes ebola as one of the worlds most virulent diseases. It is, according to the organization’s website, a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. Why are people afraid? People are afraid of EBOLA because of the Case Fatality Rate - or CFR :- is a relatively simple measurement. Its the number of people diagnosed with an illness divided by the number of people who die because of it. People were afraid because the CFR of EBOLA was 90% before; That 90% figure actually comes from one outbreak of ebola which took place in the Congo between 2002 and 2003. Its the highest rate we have ever seen, says Maimuna Majumder, a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Why you should not Panic about EBOLA Now But in the current outbreak, the proportion of infected people dying is far lower than 90%. This is because of the level of preparedness and the availability and quality of medical care and research about the disease. The cumulative average considering all ebola cases and deaths from 1976 to the present is actually closer to 60- to-65% and the current outbreak has a CFR of about 54% - though its subject to change as the outbreak goes on. This figure of 54%, however, is an average taken from several countries. The fatality rate varies from one country to another, as of NOW- in Guinea its about 73% i.e 7 out of 10 people die, whereas in Liberia its 55% 6 out of 10 people die, in Sierra Leone its 41% 4 out of 10 people die and in Nigeria its 11%, 1 out of 10 people die. Why the variation? The main factors, according to Majumder, are the level of preparedness and the availability and quality of medical care. Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 08:55:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015