Ebola could infect 1.4m in worst-case scenario

US health officials laid out worst-case and best-case scenarios for the ebola epidemic in West Africa, warning that the number of infected people could explode to at least 1.4m by mid-January — or peak well below that, if efforts to control the outbreak are ramped up.

The widely varying projections by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention were based on conditions in late August and do not take into account a recent international surge in medical aid for the stricken region. That burst has given reason for some optimism.

“I’m confident the most dire projections are not going to come to pass,” CDC chief Dr Tom Frieden said in releasing the report.