A short visual history of the Ebola epidemic

Since 1976, Ebola has plagued Central and (most recently) Western Africa. The scale of the current outbreak is unprecedented, and shows no signs of slowing down. The infographic below illustrates how many people have been affected by the deadly disease since it was first discovered.

The current epidemic has affected Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. Although parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo have reported cases, they have been declared unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa.

This interactive map from the Huffington Post on September 16, 2014 details the number of reported deaths caused by Ebola. Hover over each district to see a precise figure within West Africa.

Further reading: For more on how Ebola outbreaks happen, check out this previous post by Susannah Locke. She notes that outbreaks can last a couple of months and then temporarily disappear for a few years.