CDC projects 1.4 million Ebola cases by Jan. 20 if unchecked

A report released by the US Center for Diseases Control CDC, the number of Ebola cases in West Africa could reach as many as 550,000 to 1.4 million by January next year in the worst-case scenario.

The CDC report was quick to note that the higher projections are "very unlikely" since measures to contain the outbreak are "rapidly being implemented and sustained."

The U.S. agency developed a new modeling tool called Ebola Response to estimate the potential number of future cases. The report was based on data from August but did not account for the ongoing international Ebola relief efforts.

In the worst-case scenario, the CDC researchers assumed that the Ebola cases are significantly under reported by a factor of 2.5 in Sierra Leone and Liberia, two of the three hardest-hit countries in West Africa. 

Using this correction factor, the report estimates that approximately 21,000 total cases will have occurred in Liberia and Sierra Leone by Sept.30.

XINHUANEWS