According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ebola case load in Liberia and Sierra Leone could top 500,000 by late January and possibly reach 1.4 million people without significantly faster steps to control the spread of Ebola.
There may be only a few weeks to stop the spread of Ebola from spiraling out of control in Liberia. In fact, for every 30 days there is a delay in isolating Ebola patients, daily cases will triple as this deadly epidemic sweeps West Africa.
Aid agencies and nonprofit groups are working on the frontlines of the Ebola epidemic in the worst-hit areas including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
According to Carolyn Miles, President of Save the Children, they are working urgently to halt the outbreak before it spirals further out of control. “There are not going to be enough beds fast enough in treatment centers and not enough staff to run them unless we find ways to step up the response.”
Miles attended the U.N. Ebola meetings last week in New York City and is currently in Liberia on the frontlines of the Ebola epidemic where her organization is working quickly to open ten treatment centers in Liberia in the areas needing immediate containment.
ABOUT: Carolyn S. Miles is President & Chief Executive Officer for Save the Children, the leading independent non- profit organization inspiring breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, achieving immediate and lasting change in their lives. It serves over 125 million children in the United States and in 120 countries around the world Carolyn joined the organization in 1998, and was the COO from 2004-2011. During her tenure as COO, Save the Children doubled the number of children it reached with nutrition, health, educational, and other programs, and helped grow the organization’s budget – 89 percent of which goes directly to programs serving children – from $250 million to almost $700 million. She became the CEO and President in 2011.
This interview is provided by Save the Children
