Ebola — An Ongoing Crisis

In March 2014, an outbreak of a febrile illness associated with a high case fatality rate was identified in the Gueckedou region of Guinea–Conakry, a remote part of West Africa. An international field investigation was initiated. On April 16, the Journal published a preliminary report identifying the outbreak as due to Ebola virus.1 The initial sequence data showed that the outbreak strain was Zaire ebolavirus, but a strain distinct from those identified in prior outbreaks, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon. In Guinea there appeared to be ongoing human-to-human transmission. Over the next 4 . . .