Ebola Outbreak

I'm planning to give an update on how trip preparation is going, but first I wanted to give some information about the ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, for anyone who is interested. I'm sure most of my readers have heard about it, whether or not they've deliberately sought out information on the subject. In this post I'm going to share some links to articles that I've found useful.

First off, the outbreak has it's own Wikipedia article. I found its descriptions of how various countries have been affected and are taking measures to contain the spread of Ebola to be helpful.

The outbreak started back in March, 2014, but I hadn't really caught wind of it until the past few weeks. I was a little late on the news uptake because I was so often busy with my work at camp. At this time there have been more than 1,700 cases and over 900 deaths caused by the outbreak.

Here is an interactive timeline of how the virus has progressed, with a map of countries that have been affected.

Other articles covering the outbreak
New York Times
CNN
New Republic
New York Magazine
USA Today

For anyone that is wondering how all of this has affected the area where I will be in Benin, as far as I know, there have not been any confirmed Ebola cases in Benin since the start of the outbreak. In Nigeria, Benin's neighbor to the east, there have been around 10 confirmed cases and, sadly, 2 deaths. From what I've read, it sounds like the Nigerian government's ability to identify the cases as Ebola early on has helped them to respond effectively and treat affected individuals. It also sounds like travel between African countries is being greatly restricted and regulated.

I would like to ask anyone reading this to spend some time in the weeks and months ahead praying for the people of West Africa

• For God to comfort those who are sick and those who have suffered the loss of loved ones
• For God's protection and healing to be known in affected areas
• For doctors who are called to provide care for the sick