CDC Director Tom Frieden speaks about the continued threat and steps to prevention of Ebola at the Kaiser Family Foundation before answering audience questions.
WASHINGTON – As of Jan. 10, the CDC reported more than 8,000 combined Ebola deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Six other countries, including the U.S. and United Kingdom, suffered just 15 similar deaths overall during their outbreaks.
Now, the CDC considers the U.S. outbreak “ended” because more than 42 days have passed since anyone has tested positive on American soil.
Yet the American public, said Josh Michaud, may still pay close attention to Ebola news. Michaud, an associate director with the Global Health Policy team at the Kaiser Family Foundation, shared Kaiser polling data which shows Ebola as the top news story Americans followed in 2014. It peaked in November.
In his opening remarks at the Kaiser-hosted event, Frieden said, “We’ve seen tremendous progress” in the fight against Ebola. However, he also said, “Ebola continues to spread widely” in some areas of West Africa.
According to Michaud, the U.S. has already provided $861 million to the global effort to combat Ebola, the most funding from any single nation. Frieden spoke of various ways this funding has been used, which include providing aid workers and logistical support.
Americans have helped in the medical realm but also assist in the sometimes forgotten tasks, like burying the dead.
Frieden said the CDC coordinates burial teams that assist with this sensitive process while ensuring the infected body doesn’t spread the disease. Joined by clerics, medical teams dress the body under the family’s direction and escort the mourners to burial sites. Such precaution can prevent dozens of new Ebola cases, noted Frieden.
Even as the CDC makes progress, Frieden’s office still faces numerous challenges. Poor roads and time-consuming travel slow intervention. Some villages can only be reached by air transport.
Despite these issues and still unknown Ebola characteristics, Frieden is confident in his approach to control the outbreak. Increased effort, he argued, especially as the number of cases decreases, is the most effective plan of attack. The last cases can be the hardest to combat, added Frieden.
Domestically, the CDC has implemented an “active monitoring” program for travelers returning from countries threatened by Ebola. A CDC team meets potentially infected travelers at the airport and provides items such as a thermometer and contact information in case symptoms arise.
Scientists still don’t have all of the answers to this lethal epidemic, but Frieden certainly sees progress.
“The difference between August, September when I was there and late December is really night to day.”
