Global Epidemiology of Ebola Disease: A Review of the West African Outbreak | Chapter 1 | Current Trends in Disease and Health Vol. 3
EVD is a disease of humans and other non-human primates caused by Ebola viruses, which was first discovered in 1976. Between 1976 and 2013 there had been 24 outbreaks of the disease. The recent outbreak is the 26th and has seen more deaths than all other outbreaks from the disease combined. This outbreak in West Africa occurred in five countries: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. In the present research article, the authors reviewed various studies and current research on EVD. EVD was initially restricted to West Africa when the outbreak was first identified but later was reported in several countries around the world, including the USA. Researchers have begun to use mathematical analysis from previous outbreaks to construct the Atangana's Beta Ebola System of Equations (ABESE), which is being used to predict the spread of future outbreaks. The pathophysiology and transmission factors, including the basic and effective reproduction numbers, R0 and Re are discu...