IOSR Journal of Mathematics (IOSR-JM) e-ISSN: 2278-5728, p-ISSN: 2319-765X. Volume 13, Issue I Ver. V (Jan. - Feb. 2017), PP 30-40 www.iosrjournals.org
Analysis of Ebola Epidemic Outbreaks in West Africa Talawar A. S. and Pujar H. S. Department Statistics, Karnatak University, Dharwad, India
Abstract: In the present paper, we used a SEIR model developed by Astacio, et al., (1996) for the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The data we have used for this outbreak is obtained from the Center for Disease Control (CDC: https://www.cdc.gov). We estimated the per capita growth rate of the disease and then, � and �0 are calculated for each of these countries. The estimates of the initial rate of growth r for the Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for the 2014 outbreak (25-3-2014 to 30-3-2016) are 0.042 per week, 0.105 per week and 0.072 per week respectively. We have carried out analysis of the optimal level of effort to control the spread of ebola considering two control measures such as, vaccinating susceptible (�1 ) and quarantine of the symptomatic infective individuals (�2 ). Numerical illustration of the model is given for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
I.
Introduction
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) spread to humans and among humans through contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of those infected. It is not transmitted through the air. Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious. The largest and first regional outbreak of EVD has been occurred in West Africa during December 2013, but it was not recognised until March 2014. On March 22, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 49 people had contracted EVD in Guinea, West Africa and 29 of them had died. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this EVD epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International concern on 8 August 2014. A total of 3,707 cases (including 2,106 confirmed, 1,003 probable and 598 suspected cases) and 1,848 deaths (concerning 1,050 confirmed and 557 probable cases, as well as 241 suspected cases and deaths) have been reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal as of 31 August 2014. As of mid-August, the virus had spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria, infecting more than 2,000 people and killing over half of them (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Ebola Outbreaks: 1976-2014, as Reported on August 22, 2014: Source: CRS (2014). Prior to the current outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, EVD outbreaks were concentrated in the DRC, Gabon, the Sudans, and Uganda (Figure 2). A major factor in the rapid spread of Ebola among the affected countries is weak health system capacity. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are among the poorest countries in the world. The infrastructure, including the health systems, of these countries has been decimated by years of conflict and neglect. Despite improved control measures, Ebola remains a serious public health risk in African regions where recurrent outbreaks have been observed since the initial epidemic in 1976
DOI: 10.9790/5728-1301053040
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