Source priority
For current case totals, EbolaMap prioritizes dated reports from ministries of health and WHO, followed by Africa CDC and ECDC. CDC, MSF, peer-reviewed research, and other reputable reporting provide clinical or operational context. When sources differ, we prefer the newest primary report and retain its reporting date.
Counting rules
- Outbreak totals identify whether counts are confirmed, probable, suspected, or combined whenever the source makes that distinction.
- Cases and deaths are not silently added across reports; the newest cumulative total replaces the earlier snapshot.
- Case fatality ratio is deaths divided by reported cases and is rounded; it can change during an active outbreak.
- Country historical totals are aggregated from the events represented in the dataset and may differ from sources using different inclusion rules.
Dates and status
Every active-outbreak number should carry an “as of” date or a source publication date. An outbreak remains active until the relevant health authority declares it over. Historical timelines retain the figures reported at that point in time and are labelled as archived snapshots where confusion is possible.
Map and location data
Markers represent reported outbreak locations or approximate administrative-area centroids, not individual patients or precise facilities. Base-map data is credited to OpenStreetMap contributors and CARTO in the map control.
Translations
Translated pages aim to preserve the meaning of the English source article. Numbers and citations are shared across languages where possible. The English version is the editorial reference if a translation is delayed or ambiguous.
Update and correction workflow
- Review the dated primary source.
- Record the new total and reporting cutoff.
- Update affected overview, event, country, and news data.
- Correct materially inconsistent evergreen articles or mark dated timelines as archived.
- Document significant errors under the Corrections Policy.