Ebola Case Study

• Ebola disease


  A group of deadly diseases in people caused by four ebolaviruses within the genus Ebolavirus
• Ebola disease


  • It is a serious infectious disease spread between animals to humans and from person to person
  • The infection is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with the blood, body fluids or secretions of the infected people
• Ebola viruses were first discovered when two consecutive outbreaks of fatal hemorrhagic fever occurred in different parts of Central Africa


  1976
• The Ebola virus major outbreak began with the fatal infection of a young boy in Guinea who might have contracted the virus from a species of bat


  Late 2013
• Guinea Ebola outbreak 2014-2016


  • It was the largest Ebola outbreak in history at the time
  • It had significant impacts on Guinea's healthcare system, economy, and society
• The Guinea Ebola outbreak from 2014-2016 resulted in 2,536 reported cases and 1,606 deaths
• Guinea has experienced several Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first discovered in 1976
• Probability of Ebola outbreaks in Guinea


  • Influenced by the presence of the virus in animal reservoirs such as fruit bats
  • Population density and movement of the area
  • Socioeconomic factors such as healthcare infrastructure and public health measures
  • Changes in land use, deforestation, and climate change
• Scale of spatial impact of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea 2014-2016


  • Local scale: significant impact on local communities, healthcare systems overwhelmed
  • Regional scale: affected neighbouring countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone
• Ebola Virus


  A virus that has a natural reservoir in bats and can be transmitted to humans
• First case of major Ebola outbreak thought to have occurred


  December 2013
• Cause of Ebola outbreak in Guinea 2014-2016


  • Presence of virus in animal reservoirs, particularly fruit bats
  • Spillover events from bats to humans due to human encroachment into wildlife habitats or consumption of bushmeat
  • Guinea's population density and mobility
  • Limited healthcare infrastructure and resources
  • Cultural practices like traditional burial rites