The Ebola outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone is expected to get worse if there aren’t “additional interventions or changes in community behavior,” according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC report says the number of Ebola cases could increase to between 555,000 and 1.4 million by January.
The huge estimate is because the current cases are highly under-reported. To combat the deadly epidemic, the CDC suggests that at least 70 percent of those with the disease receive comprehensive treatment in medical facilities.
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In a press conference Tuesday, CDC Director Tom Frieden warned that the model is based on data from August, and fails to consider President Obama‘s announcement that the U.S. will send troops and medical support.
Senior Director of the National Security Council Gayle Smith said the epidemic can end with a large international response. “The momentum must at least be maintained to ensure we are way out ahead of this,” Smith said. And added that the international help will need to “stay on this as long as it takes.”