Center for Disaster Philanthropy

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Ebola Virus

Overview

Healthcare workers first noticed an increase in EVD diagnosis during the Spring of 2014. There have been approximately 28,000 EVD cases in nine countries, and more than 11,000 deaths from the virus.

The World Health Organization believes that the actual number of cases and deaths is actually two to four times higher than the confirmed numbers. It is the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

The World Health Organization announced in June 2016 that nearly 50 days had passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola tested negative.

The countries most affected were Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Nigeria was part of the initial outbreak, but has since been declared clear of the virus. Some cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, believed to be unrelated to the West Africa event; several recent cases were reported in Mali, and a handful of cases — all involving travelers to the affected areas and those who cared for them — were reported in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Senegal.

(Photo: The head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury, welcomed the arrival of a German aircraft which will be delivering needed supplies and material to countries in western Africa affected by the Ebola virus. Source: UN)

There is no specific cure or licensed vaccine for treatment. Patients are quarantined and given intense supportive care, including electrolytes and intravenous fluids – when an affected individual is in an area where they can reach appropriate health care.

Sources for this disaster profile include the World Health Organization, USAID, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Washington Post, CNN News, The New York Times, The Foundation Center, and responding iNGOs. Please send your updates to anna.hurt@disasterphilanthropy.org.

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Background and impact

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, acute viral illness, usually characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These symptoms are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, internal and external bleeding. The disease is deadly, and can reach fatality rates of 90 percent. In this outbreak, fatality rates are between 55 and 60 percent, in confirmed cases.

EVD is introduced to the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or bodily fluids of animal hosts. It is then spread through a community through human-to-human contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

A number of health care workers have contracted EVD as a result of the ongoing outbreak. In response, health actors are scaling up precautionary measures to reduce transmission to health care workers, including through staff movement, providing personal protective equipment (PPE), and administering training.

The EVD outbreak aggravated fragile social, political and economic conditions in the region and posing increasingly serious global health security challenges and risks. These remain as areas of long-term need.

Facts and stats
The Cost of Ebola Treatment. Graphic courtesy of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
  • There have been approximately 28,000 confirmed cases of EVD in at least nine countries.
  • There have been more than 11,000 deaths from EVD.
  • Two of the most severely affected countries are Liberia and Sierra Leone.
  • The current outbreak of EVD is the largest in recorded history.
  • There is no vaccine or cure for EVD. Patients require intensive supportive care in a health facility to recover.
  • The fatality rate in an EVD outbreak can reach 90 percent, according to WHO. The current death rate in this outbreak is about 55 percent.
  • Fruit bats are considered a common host of EVD.
  • Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy has a Global Recovery Fund that provides an opportunity for donors to meet the ongoing and ever-expanding challenges presented by global crises.

Contact CDP

Recovery updates

If you are a responding NGO or a donor, please send updates on how you are working in this crisis to tanya.gulliver-garcia@disasterphilanthropy.org.

Donor recommendations

If you are a donor looking for recommendations on how to help in this crisis, please email regine.webster@disasterphilanthropy.org.

Donors, Government and International Funding Resources

Donors

  • Abbott Laboratories Corporate Giving Program, $250,000 in products and cash to multiple recipients working in affected countries.
  • Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone Ltd., $1 million to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, $110000 in donated food and other supplies, to Lathal Diason Church in Monrovia and Liberia.
  • African and Caribbean Business Council, $1.5 million in donated medical supplies.
  • Africa Finance Corporation, $200,000 to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Virology Unit of the Central Research Laboratory of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria; and the Lagos State Infectious Diseases Hospital.
  • African Minerals, Ltd., $205,000 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • African Rainbow Minerals Ltd., $1 million to partners in Guinea.
  • Africare, $50,000 in medical supplies to partners in Liberia.
  • Airbus Defense and Space SAS, $30,000 to the World Health Organization, in the form of satellite services.
  • Airtel Sierra Leone, $39,125 to partners in Sierra Leone, and $15,000 to Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
  • Allotropes Diamond Company, $10,000 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Amara Mining PLC, $9,000 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • American Jewish World Service, $405,000 to partners in Liberia.
  • AMR Gold Resources, Inc., $2,280 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • AP Moller Maersk Group, $1 million in logistics support to UN agencies.
  • ArcelorMittal Foundation, $1,000,000 to renovate Liberia clinic, along with medical supplies; $350,000 to British Red Cross for Liberia; $52,500 in donated drugs.
  • Association of Sierra Leone banks, $34,250 to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
  • Aureus Mining, Inc., $30,000 to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
  • Bayer AG, $3,200,000 in medicine to Direct Relief International; $1.4 million in antibiotics to partners in Liberia; $62,256 for protective clothing to partners in Liberia; $64,000 to Caritas International in cash and donated supplies for affected areas.
  • Belani and Sons, $11,395 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Bollore Africa Logistics, $6,904 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Benco Trading LTD, $11,370 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • BHP Billiton Corporate Giving Program, $140,000 in ambulances to Liberian National Red Cross, and $800,000 to the World Health Organization Ebola Response Fund.
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, $50 million in flexible funds to United Nations agencies and international organizations involved in the response to enable them and national governments to purchase badly needed supplies and scale up emergency operations in affected countries, including: $100,000 to GAIA Vaccine Foundation; $1.6 million to Cepheid; $5.7 million to partners in effected countries to scale up the production and evaluation of convalescent plasma and other blood products; $4 million to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; $2 million to the CDC Foundation for Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; $6 million to the World Health Organization for Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; $3 million to partners in Nigera; $2.9 million to World Health Organization; $432,762 to Cenes Nanosciences, Inc.; $89,768 to Rockefeller University; $2.9 million to GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; $298,982 to Clinical Research Management, Inc.; $627,000 to Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc.; $156,687 to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; $1.4 million to the World Health Organization for Nigeria; $250,000 to UNOPS for Sierra Leone; $3 million to the CDC Foundation for Liberia; $700,000 to the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative for Sierra Leone; $1 million to the International Medical Corps for Liberia; $500,000 to ALIMA-USA, Inc. for Guinea; $736,048 to FIO Corporation (for West Africa); $568,182 to Corgenix Medical Corporation for development of simple diagnostic test; $1 million to GOAL Ireland for Sierra Leone; $750,000 to Oxfam for Ginea Bissau; $1.8 million to Senegal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; $851,338 to Broad Institute, Inc., for genomic analysis of Ebola, $94,611 to CDC Foundation, $460,147 to Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc., $250,000 to United Nations Office for Project Services for emergency support in Sierra Leone.
  • Blue Horizon Ltd., $5,688 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Bollore Africa Logistics, $6,904 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Bridgestone Americas, Inc., Corporate Giving Program, $500,000 to Samaritan’s Purse.
  • Bridgestone Corporation Contribution Program, $500,000 to UNICEF.
  • Canadian Foundation of Nurses Unions, $4,503 to Doctors Without Borders, and $4,503 to Registered Nurse Response Network.
  • Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, $31,086 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees, $9,003 to Public Services International Aid Fund, and $9,003 to Doctors Without Borders.
  • Carl Victor Page Memorial Foundation, $15 million to InSTEDD, International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders, NetHope, Partners in Health, Save the Children, U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
  • Caterpillar Foundation, $1,000,000 to One.org.
  • Cera Products, Inc., $590,000 in supplies to Direct Relief International.
  • Chevron Liberia Limited, $240,000 to the National Ebola Task Force, for medical supplies; and $500,000 to International Medical Corps.
  • ChildFund International, $40,000 in medical supplies to partners in Liberia.
  • Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, $20 million in grants to International Medical Corps UK, Doctors WIthout Borders, British Red Cross, UNICEF, and others.
  • Cica Motors Liberia, $97,000 in the form of ambulatory vehicles.
  • CIGNA Foundation, $50,000 to UN Emergency Relief Fund.
  • Citigroup, Inc. Corporate Giving Program, $100,000 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Clinton Global Initiative, $6 million to partners working in affected countries for medical supplies.
  • Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, $200,000 to Medshare, and $1 million to the African Union.
  • Coca-Cola Company Contributions Program, $48,000 to partners in Liberia; and $200,000 to partners in Liberia for PPE and medical supplies.
  • Comic Relief UK, $1,601,360 to YCare International, Doctors Without Borders, and others.
  • Community of Caring, $500,000 in donated medical supplies to Armed Forces of Liberia.
  • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, $400,000 to the Centers for Disease Control for Ebola response, and $100,000 to the International Medical Corps.
  • Dangote Foundation, $924,000 to Nigerian Government for the establishment of a National Ebola Task Force; $3 million to African Development Bank via African Union Ebola Fund. The Dangote Foundation has pledged $28.5 million.
  • Dawnus International, $25,000 to UNICEF.
  • Depeche Mode, $50,000 to Direct Relief International.
  • DuPont Corporate Giving Program, $250,000 to Doctors Without Borders, World Health Organization, and unspecified others.
  • Ecobank Ghana, $130,638 in malaria and ebola prevention supplies.
  • Ecobank Liberia, $10,000 in food and non-food items to partners in Liberia.
  • Ecobank Sierra Leone, $51,417 to partners working in affected countries.
  • Ecobank Transnational, Inc., $50,000 to the government of Sierra Leone.
  • Equatorial Palm Oil PLC, $15,000 in medical supplies to Liberian medical authorities.
  • Exxon Mobile Corporation Contributions Program, $250,000 to CDC Foundation; $150,000 to Government of Liberia; $75,000 to Plan-Liberia.
  • Fawaz Building Materials, $11,395 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • First Book, $320,000 to partners in Liberia in the form of books.
  • Foodland Supermarket, $5,700 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • GE Foundation, $2,000,000 to Partners in Health and Last Mile Health.
  • Giving Children Hope, $50,000 in medical supplies to partners in Liberia.
  • GlaxoSmithKline PLC Corporate Giving Program, $167,000 to Save the Children, Americares, World Health Organization, and Project Hope; and $642,000 in product donations to Americares and Project Hope.
  • Global Giving Foundation: $51,000 to Develop Africa; $98,000 to Imani House; $51,000 to BRAC USA; $3,000 to Global Links; $160,000 to More Than Me; $36,000 to Greatest Goal Ministries USA; $5,000 to Lifeline Energy; $162,500 to International Medical Corps; $69,000 to Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa; $8,348 to Vision Awake Africa for Development; $5,462 to World Food Program USA; $21,000 to Foundation for Restoring Healthcare to Liberia; $23,000 to Lifeline Energy; $6,500 to Doctors Without Borders; $75,000 to WeOwnTV; $156,000 to IsraAID; $206,000 Internews Network; $91,000 to Imani House; $1,600 to Global Links; $9,900 to Vision Awake Africa for Development; $70,000 to West Point Women for Health and Development Organization; $5,400 to AdvocAid; $40,000 to Everyday Gandhis; $20,000 to Healthy Women Healthy Liberia!; $100,000 to Global Communities; $100,000 to Kidsave International; $100,000 to Last Mile Health; $100,000 to PCI-Media Impact; $100,000 to Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness; $100,000 to Save the Children; $100,000 to United States Fund for UNICEF; $31,200 to National Empowerment Program for Women and Children; $10,000 to Solon Foundation UK; $13,000 to Christ Children Home Educational Fund; $5,900 to Nursing for All; $9,294 to Partners in Health; $5,432 to Share HEART in Africa, Inc.; $65,000 to IDEX (International Development Exchange); and various other grants of less than $1,000.
  • Golden Saint Resources (Africa), Ltd., $5,741 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Google.org, $10 million to InSTEDD, International Rescue Commission, Doctors Without Borders, NetHealth, Partners in Health, Save the Children, UNICEF; and $7.5 million matching grant to International Rescue Commission, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, and Save the Children (via donor-advised fund through Network for Good).
  • Grand Lodge of Masons, A.F. and A.M., Republic of Liberia, $10,000 to partners in Liberia.
  • Guaranty Trust Bank, PLC, $208,605 to Swiss Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
  • HCA Corporate Giving Program, $1,000,000 to the CDC Foundation.
  • Hearrt Foundation, $500,000 in medical supplies to partners in Liberia.
  • Henry Schein, Inc. Corporate Giving Program, $500,000 to the CDC Foundation, and $500,000 to AmeriCares, Direct Relief International, International Medical Corps, and Medshare.
  • Hudson’s Bay Company Corporate Giving Program, $44,286 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Hyperdynamics Corporation, $200,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
  • IAMGold Corporation, $35,000 to British Red Cross.
  • IBIS: $200,000 to Ebola Response Project for Liberia.
  • Islamic Heritage Society Inc., $10,000 to the World Health Organization.
  • Ibrahim Mohsen and Sons, $5,700 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Jewelers for Children, $100,000 to Save the Children.
  • Johnson & Johnson Corporate Giving Program, $1 million for personal protective equipment and training.
  • JP Morgan Chase Foundation, $600,000 to UNICEF and International Rescue Committee.
  • Kaiser Permanente Corporate Giving Foundation, $500,000 to Doctors Without Borders, and $500,000 to International Medical Corps.
  • Karisatu Pharmaceutical Company, $20,000 in donated drugs to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
  • Kingho Investment Company LTD, $91,446 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Koidu Holdings, SA, $50,057 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Legatum Foundation, based in Dubai, $150,000 to the Ebola Crisis Fund, managed by Capital for Good.
  • Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, $2.2 million to Global Giving.
  • Liberia Assemblies of God, Inc.: $60,000 to Liberia Ebola Treatment Units (food and clothing donations).
  • Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, $75,000 to the Liberia National Ebola Task Force.
  • Liberian American Community Organization of Southern California, $100,000 in donated medical supplies to partners in Liberia..
  • Liquid Telecom Group, $250,000 to the Rwanda Ministry of Health.
  • Lions Club International Foundation, $150,000 to local Lions Clubs in affected areas for Ebola orphans.
  • London Mining, Plc., $96,000 to the Government of Sierra Leone.
  • Lonestar Cell MTN, $100,000 to the Liberia National Ebola Task Force.
  • Mantrac Sierra Leone, $4,548 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Map International, $10,000,000 in supplies to partners in West Africa.
  • Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan, $25 million to the CDC Global Disaster Response Fund.
  • McKesson Corporation Contributions Program, $200,000 to World Vision International.
  • Mercury International, $56,880 to the government of Sierra Leone.
  • MerckKGaA, $313,000 to the German Red Cross.
  • Microsoft Corporation Contributions Program, $100,000 to NetHope.
  • Millicom International Cellular, $1 million to the African Union.
  • Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., $10,000 to partners in Liberia.
  • Moccasin Lake Foundation, $70,000 to the UN Population Fund for Liberia.
  • Motsepe Family Foundation, $1 million to the Ebola Fund in the Republic of Guinea.
  • MTN Group, $10 million to the African Union.
  • National Nurse United, $40,000 to International Medical Corps.
  • National Oil Company of Liberia, $84,000 to the Liberia Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; $150,000 to the Liberia Ebola Trust Fund; and $27,500 to the Liberian National Ebola Task Force.
  • National Petroleum SL Limited, $25,114 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • The New Field Foundation committed $19,000 to the Ebola Crisis Fund, managed by Capital for Good.
  • Nipper Clever Company, $750,000 in the form of 75,000 Pittarich masks, initially developed for MERS.
  • Norwegian Girl Guides Association, $10,000 to the Liberian Girl Guides Association.
  • Novartis AG, $1,050,000 to International Federal of Red Cross.
  • Novo Nordisk, $169,405 to partners in affected countries, and $1 million to AmeriCares.
  • OAS Brazil SA, $107,000 to the World Health Organization.
  • Open Society Foundation granted $4 million to the building of a treatment center in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia.
  • Orthodox Missionary Fraternity, $4,551 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Pacific International Lines Ltd., $30,000 to the Liberian National Red Cross Society.
  • Patrice Motsepe, $1 million to the African Union.
  • Patterson Foundation, $540,000 to NetHope.
  • Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, has pledged $100 million to Ebola response and relief, which includes $3 million to Airlink; $3.1 million to the American Red Cross Ebola Efforts; $3.6 million to UNICEF; $9 million to the Center for Disease Control Foundation’s Global Disaster Response Fund; $1.9 million to Action Against Hunger; $1.3 million to Americares; $1 million to Direct Relief; $6.6 million to Save the Children for work in Liberia; $1.6 million to Cepheid; $1.5 million to BBC Media Action (for West Africa); $2.2 million to PCI Media Impact (for affected countries and West Africa); $318,000 to Medical Teams International for Liberia; $2.1 million to World Health Organization; $553.293 to Clinical RM (for Liberia); $1.3 million to Doctors Without Borders; $2.5 million to Silicone Valley Community Foundation; $2 million to NetHope.
  • Pierre and Pam Omidyar, $250,000 to the Ebola Crisis Fund, managed by Capital for Good.
  • Prudential Financial, Inc., Corporate Giving Program, $6 million to the UNICEF Bridge Fund.
  • Prudential Foundation, $300,000 to Doctors Without Borders, $200,000 to U.S. Fund for UNICEF, $300,000 to University Hospital, Newark, NJ.
  • Rio Tinto Pic, $100,000 to the World Health Organization; and $1.5 million to World Food Program in Logistic Support.
  • Robert Bosch Foundation, $150,000 to FACEAfrica.
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, $1 million to the Center for Disease Control Foundation’s Global Response Fund.
  • SAP SE, $184,635 to Doctors Without Borders and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
  • Scientific Laboratory Supplies, Ltd., $4,900 to International Health Partnership.
  • Scotiabank Corporate Giving Program, $31,323 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Seplat Petroleum Development Company, Plc., $305,600 to First Consultants Medical Centre, Lagos, and the Lagos Isolation Centre.
  • Sierra Leone Bar Association, $22,831 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Sierra Leone Brewing, Ltd., $87,199 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Sierra Minerals, $83,831 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Sierre Rutile, Ltd., $228,502 to parters in Sierra Leone; $22,750 to local district councils in Sierra Leone.
  • Sime Darby Foundation, $155,000 to partners in Liberia in the form of rubber gloves; $157,220 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
  • SocFin Agricultural Company, $13,809 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Sorenson Legacy Foundation, $1.5 million to Doctors Without Borders, International Medical Corps, and Samaritan’s Purse.
  • St. Mark’s Episcopal Church — Suffolk, $64,800 in medical and other supplies to the Episcopal Church in Liberia.
  • Stavros Niarchose Foundation, $500,000 to Doctors Without Borders.
  • Stichting IKEA Foundation, $131,751 to Save the Children for Liberia, and $6,316,357 to Doctors Without Borders.
  • Street Child, $24,242 to Sierra Leone in grants to orphan caregivers.
  • Sun Life Financial, Inc., Corporate Giving Program, $44,689 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • TAG Charitable Foundation, $10,000 to Doctors Without Borders.
  • Tangerine Bank, $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Tonkolili Iron Ore LTD, $4,889 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • Tony Elumelu Foundation, $1 million to the African Union, $308,500 to partners in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and $308,500 to partners in Nigeria.
  • Toronto-Dominican Bank Corporate Giving Program, $67,371 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Tullow Oil, Plc., $199,314 to partners in Guinea.
  • UBA Foundation, has pledged $28.5 million, including $900,000 to partners in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, and $100,000 to African Union Support Mission to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa.
  • United Bank for Africa, $300,000 to Liberia National Ebola Task Force.
  • Universal Trading and Supplies, $46,189 to partners in Sierra Leone.
  • University of Massachusetts Medical School, $1.7 million in donated PPE.
  • UPS Foundation, $650,000 in logistics support to affected areas.
  • Vale International Holdings, $100,000 to the World Health Organization.
  • VIVO Energy Guinee, $28,200 to the World Health Organization.
  • Vulcan, Inc., $100,000 to Global Giving; $270,988 to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; $318,000 to Medical Teams International; $1.4 million to NetHope; $3.3 million to American Red Cross; $1 million to Direct Relief; $1.3 million to Doctors Without Borders; $1.3 million to Americares; $1.5 million to BBC Media Action; $1.9 million to Action Against Hunger; $2.1 million to the World Health Organization; $3 million to Airlink; $3.6 million to UNICEF; $6.6 million to Save the Children; $12.9 million to CDC Foundation; $13.1 million to other recipients
  • Wellcome Trust, $5,200,000 to the World Health Organization, Doctor’s Without Borders, Global Health Network, and others.
  • WellPoint Foundation, $75,000 to Americares.
  • Wells Fargo and Co. Contributions Program, $150,000 to International Medical Corps.
  • Western Union Foundation, $500,000 and $25,000 to International Medical Corps; $1 million matching grant to International Medical Corps and Save the Children; and $25,000 to unspecified others.
  • William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, $5 million to CDC Foundation, United Nations Foundation, Humanitarian Open Street Map Team, International Medical Corps, Population Services International, Global Giving Foundation, and Capital for Good.
  • Wireless Application Service and Providers’ Association of Ghana, $15,637 to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
  • World Cocoa Foundation, Inc., $600,000 to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Caritas International.
  • Xerox Foundation, $100,000 to Save the Children.
  • Zibo Hongye Shangquin Plastic and Rubber Co., Ltd.: $38,000 (donated medical protective equipment).

Government and International Funding Resources

NGO Response

  • Action Against Hunger is working in prevention, response and control of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It plans to soon engage in expanded water, sanitation and hygiene programs in addition to providing food security and mental health services.
  • Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International is responding to the Ebola crisis in Liberia and Sierra Leone. In both countries ADRA’s response includes a combination of providing medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals, along with education and counseling for victims and their families.
  • Airlink pulled together five of its nonprofit partners – Afya Foundation, AmeriCares, ChildFund International, Direct Relief, and MedShare – who had aid supplies to deliver to Liberia. Through a cooperative effort between logistics actors (American Logistics Aid Network, LIFT, UPS, and FedEx), and charter airline ATX Air Services, AIRLINK was able to coordinate the delivery of 15,000 pounds of PPE to Monrovia, Liberia. Airlink plans to coordinate additional shipments of personal protective equipment for medical workers and food to affected areas.
  • American Red Cross has contributed $2.6 million since the response began. This contribution has strengthened the capacities of the Guinea Red Cross, Liberia Red Cross and Sierra Leone Red Cross to manage the Ebola outbreak response, contributed to the epidemiological investigation and epidemic control measures, and increased public awareness of the virus. The American Red Cross also continues to provide information and remote mapping support to the relief.
  • AmeriCares has provided over $2 million in aid in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and is expanding its role. In partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), AmeriCares is now providing medicines and medical supplies for three of the 17 Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) the U.S. government is building in Liberia. AmeriCares also sent several recent air shipments that included nearly $500,000 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE), medicines and medical supplies which will support the start-up of operations at ETUs.
  • BRAC is working in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where the organization has had a long-term presence. The organization is focused on using existing local networks to respond with a number of interventions to eliminate the spread of the virus and support effected communities.
  • Brother’s Brother Foundation shipped four medical containers in August 2014 to in Sierra Leone and Liberia and they are now in the process of being distributed. These shipments included priority items of liquid soap, disinfectants, gloves, masks, PPE, and general medical supplies. Receiving facilities included the Ebola treatment centers of Kenema and Connaught in Sierra Leone, and Elwa and Phebe Hospitals in Liberia. Two more shipments are en route for Liberia and Sierra Leone and four additional shipments are planned for September-October 2014.
  • Catholic Relief Services is collaborating with the Catholic Church, local leaders, and the Ministries of Health in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone on large public awareness campaigns to educate people on Ebola prevention, transmission and proper treatment. Trained volunteers go door-to-door, distributing posters, fliers, fact sheets, and other materials with educational information. CRS has also partnered with local radio stations to broadcast regular public service announcements in local languages.
  • ChildFund International is currently working to distribute relief supplies and medical equipment in affected areas. ChildFund is also operating an interim care center for children who have lost one or both parents due to the Ebola outbreak.
  • Christian Aid is working to provide food and household commodities to homes under quarantine. The organization is also working to distribute food and essential items to other affected populations. Teams are also working to disseminate information on the disease in affected areas and to provide protective equipment to medical workers.
  • Concern Worldwide is responding to the Ebola Virus in Liberia and Sierra Leone through education and awareness, sanitation stations, the support of health systems and staffs, and the provision of personal protective equipment to health facilities.
  • Direct Relief is working to provide medical supplies and equipment to healthcare providers in affected areas. Their latest shipment, as of Sept. 19, 2014, included $2.8 million surgical and exam gloves; 170,000 coverall gowns; 120,000 masks; 40,000 liters of pre-mixed oral rehydration solution; 9.8 million defined daily doses of essential medications.
  • Doctors Without Borders has staff working at five clinics in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, to treat patients.
  • Heart to Heart International has launched Operation Ebola, a multi-phased relief operation to help protect and save lives in the Ebola hot zone in West Africa. In the first phase, HHI is working with partner organizations on the ground and shipping critically needed protective gear and supplies for front line health workers providing Ebola treatment. The second phase of the relief effort is dealing with the crisis within the crisis by deploying volunteer teams of medical providers and nurses, in the safest way possible, to help shore up a crumbling health system and to provide primary care for conditions other than Ebola.
  • International Medical Corps has staff on the ground working to address Ebola in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Liberia. In Liberia, International Medical Corps is running a 70-bed treatment facility in Bong County. In Sierra Leone, International Medical Corps is coordinating with partners to train and manage a treatment facility to care for the increasing caseload of Ebola patients.
  • Internews has teams on the ground in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, working on grassroots campaigns that provide accurate information to local populaces, and to assist local media outlets and journalists with effective explanations about the disease, its’ treatment, and related actions such as quarantines.
  • Jhpiego is providing critical, lifesaving assistance to the governments of Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria by updating infection prevention skills of health workers who deliver care to women and families. An international health non-profit and affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Jhpiego has offices in all three countries and deep roots in the region. The organization has committed new funds as part of an Ebola Response Initiative to continue providing technical assistance to address anxiety and fear among health workers, strengthen infection prevention and control measures and ensure the revitalization of safe, high-quality health services, especially to vulnerable pregnant women, mothers and newborns.
  • MAP International began responding to the Ebola outbreak at the onset in March by providing 27,000 PPEs, gloves, facemasks and over $8 million in essential medicines and supplies. As part of the $8 millon provided, MAP sent 141 MAP Medical Missions Packs to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Libiera.  MAP’s Liberia office has received a large portion of the Liberia relief and has distributed.
  • Medical Teams International is improving safety in communities, families and health clinics through education and training to stop the spread of Ebola in West Africa and around the world.  MTI is on the front lines educating communities and health care workers on procedures that will eradicate the Ebola virus. MTI has been in Liberia for 10 years. Its local staff of 48 currently covers seven counties, 334 medical clinics and 726,000 people. The majority of the clinics – 250 of them – and 1,622 health workers are in Montserrado County, where MTI is trusted and well-established in local communities.
  • Mercy Corps is working on a public education campaign that will reach about 2 million Liberians with prevention and hygiene education on Ebola, and is working with a network of local partners to address employment and economic development. In addition, Mercy Corps staff completed an assessment of the economic affects of Ebola.
  • Oxfam is joining forces with government health authorities to provide gloves, masks, overalls, boots, goggles, and other gear to teams carrying out vital public health work. And through radio, print, and training door-to-door messengers, we are helping community members understand how they can protect their families from the deadly epidemic.
  • PCI has been on the ground fighting the Ebola epidemic in Liberia since the outbreak began in March, raising public awareness, training health care workers and providing desperately needed medical supplies. Using PCI’s extensive network of community groups throughout the country, more than 45,000 people have been educated on how to prevent the Ebola infection.
  • Plan International is currently responding in the areas of child protection, food assistance, WASH, social mobilization, and enhanced behaviour change through awareness raising activities in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
  • Project HOPE is working to provide medicine and medical supplies in Sierra Leone.
  • Salvation Army is supporting its communities, congregations, and staff in affected areas. Response has been focused on non -medical support (such as food, water, and hygiene), along with prevention awareness and psycho social/spiritual care.
  • Samaritan’s Purse has deployed a team to provide direct patient care to Ebola victims in Liberia, where the organization has had a country office for more than a decade. The team includes doctors, nurses, and support personnel. Currently, Samaritan’s Purse is operating two case management offices.
  • Save the Children is responding with health, child protection and education components to assist healthcare providers, build a case management center, and provide protective kits. In particular, Save the Children’s efforts focus on Ebola Treatment Units and Community Care Centers in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
  • World Vision is providing personal protective equipment, including rubber gloves, chlorine, and water purification tablets to hospitals and healthcare facilities. Trained by World Vision, staff in Sierra Leone are organizing massive awareness, prevention, and education campaigns to protect children from the disease through radio and house-to-house information sharing.

U.S. Federal and International Government Responses

  • Center for Disease Control is responding with in-person staff support and monitoring, advisory services, and other resources.
  • United Nations Development Program is heading the coordinated response of international efforts, including those of other agencies. Efforts are focused especially on the three most affected countries, and additional personnel have been sent to the area.
  • United Nations World Food Programme has mobilized more than 600 personnel to affected areas and has distributed food to more than 1.3 million people in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, since April. Often, food has been delivered house to house to minimize the spread of Ebola.
  • United States Department of Defense will deploy at least 3,000 military personnel to affected areas as part of Operation United Assistance to build field hospitals, transport supplies, create a training center, and distribute treatment kits.
  • World Food Program is working to support the health response by ensuring the basic food and nutrition needs of patients, families, and communities affected by the virus.  To date, WPF has distributed aid (35,000 square meters of cargo!) to more than 2.84 million people since August 2014.

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Pandemics and Infectious Diseases

Pandemics and Infectious Diseases

A pandemic is the sustained transmission of an infectious disease across a wide area of one country or across international borders. Pandemics may be either naturally occurring or the result of human intervention through genetic engineering or biological warfare.

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