Ebola: Entering Year 2

The Ebola epidemic has entered its second year: 

The Butcher’s Bill: A total of 17942 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported in six affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, and the United States of America) and two previously affected countries (Nigeria and Senegal) as of December 7^th, 2014. There have been 6388 deaths since December of 2013.  

 
Time Magazine has picked Ebola Fighters as the "Person of the Year"

They deserve the praise- they are working hard in scary conditions. Risking their lives every day. They are all heros.

The beginning:

Patient Zero was a little boy. In December 2013, Emile Ouamouno had a fever, black stool and started vomiting. On December 6, he was dead. 

Within a month, so were his sister, his mother and his grandmother.

The mother suffered bleeding symptoms and died on December 13. Then, the toddler's 3-year-old sister died December 29, with symptoms including fever, vomiting and black diarrhea. The grandmother passed away January 1, 2014.

Ebola had never been in this part of the world before. The cases were not recognized. Months would pass before the Ebola crisis became international news.

Progress has been made. The outbreaks of Ebola in Senegal and Nigeria were declared over on 17 October and 19 October 2014, respectively. The unrelated outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a total of 49 deaths is over as well, since more than 42 days have passed since the last case tested negative.