N. V. GRISHINA Keywords: Ebola, epidemic, Africa, economy, damage The latest and still undetected outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever was reported in West Africa in February 2014. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were the most affected by the deadly virus; cases of infection were recorded in Nigeria and Senegal. According to experts of the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the most dangerous outbreak of the disease since the discovery of the virus in 1976.1 The Ebola epidemic began in West Africa for the first time since it was identified as an infectious disease, so local doctors do not have experience in dealing with it. In addition to purely therapeutic measures, therapy includes isolation of the patient in a hospital with strict safety measures (low-pressure boxing, the use of respirators, gloves, glasses during the examination of the patient and the study of pathological material, compliance with the sterilization regime of instruments). However, in the countries of the region, the health sector is in a deplorable state, and the authorities of the countries affected by the epidemic were able to contain the spread of the disease only thanks to quarantine zones, since there was no cure for the deadly virus. Since January 2015, the Ministries of Health of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have recorded a significant slowdown in the spread of Ebola in their countries. 2 Since the beginning of last year, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have suffered the greatest losses, both in humanitarian and economic terms. By the beginning of summer 2015, the number of people infected with the deadly virus was estimated at 27.1 thousand people, and more than 11 thousand people died. 3 In the West African region, the epidemic has subsided, but the States most severely affected by the epidemic will need millions of dollars to restore their national economies. In the countries affected by the virus, there is a serious shortage of medical facilities, qualified medical personn ... Читать далее