--- title: Ebola Outbreak: Peace Corps Pulls Volunteers From West Africa description: The Peace Corps announced Wednesday that it's pulling volunteers out of parts of West Africa amid an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus canonical: https://time.com/3060483/ebola-peace-corps/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-30T21:28:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T09:25:54.791Z article:section: Health og:title: Ebola Outbreak: Peace Corps Pulls Volunteers From West Africa og:description: The Peace Corps announced Wednesday that it's pulling volunteers out of parts of West Africa amid an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus og:url: https://time.com/3060483/ebola-peace-corps/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b5acc66e639b8e7/69869dec810bbb84c3c92d42/481845229.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4176 og:image:height: 2349 og:image:alt: GUINEA-HEALTH-EBOLA og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ebola Outbreak: Peace Corps Pulls Volunteers From West Africa twitter:description: The Peace Corps announced Wednesday that it's pulling volunteers out of parts of West Africa amid an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b5acc66e639b8e7/69869dec810bbb84c3c92d42/481845229.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Peace Corps Pulls Volunteers Out of West Africa Amid Ebola Scare > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=7f56a8b2-d713-46e0-808c-ad4a3f527844&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained [Watch (HLS stream): Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oB7TO3G5.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2014-07-29. A look at the numbers behind the largest ebola outbreak on record, which has killed 670 people thus far._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jul 30, 2014 9:28 PM UTC  Gloves and boots used by medical staff, drying in the sun, at a center for victims of the Ebola virus in Guéckédou, on April 1, 2014 Gloves and boots used by medical staff, drying in the sun, at a center for victims of the Ebola virus in Guéckédou, on April 1, 2014 Seyllou—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jul 30, 2014 9:28 PM UTC The Peace Corps [announced](http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/press/2424/) Wednesday that it’s pulling volunteers out of parts of West Africa amid an outbreak of the [deadly Ebola virus](http://time.com/3056329/infographic-ebola-by-the-numbers/). Volunteers in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are being recalled until further notice. “The Peace Corps has enjoyed long partnerships with the government and people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea and is committed to continuing volunteers’ work there,” the group’s [statement](http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/press/2424/) reads. “A determination on when volunteers can return will be made at a later date.” The organization currently has 102 volunteers in Guinea, 108 in Liberia and 130 in Sierra Leone, it says. On Wednesday, [CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/peace-corps-volunteers-in-liberia-isolated-for-ebola-exposure/) reported two Peace Corps volunteers in Liberia had been quarantined after possibly being exposed to the deadly virus, though neither currently exhibits symptoms. As of July 23, [672 people have died](http://time.com/3056329/infographic-ebola-by-the-numbers/) from Ebola during the current outbreak, which has spread between Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and other parts of West Africa. Earlier this week, a hospital in Nigeria [shuttered its doors](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/28/us-health-ebola-nigeria-idUSKBN0FX15420140728) after admitting a man who had contracted and later died from the virus. World leaders are on [high alert](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/30/ebola-fears-global-outbreak/13350607/) in light of the outbreak, which is the [largest in history](http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/). Symptoms of Ebola include fever, diarrhea, vomiting and intense weakness; the fatality rate of this epidemic is about 60%. ## Transcript The Ebola virus is highly contagious and one of the deadliest viruses in the world. A current outbreak is raging in the three West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. The outbreak, which has killed over 670. People is the largest Ebola outbreak on record. It won't be considered over until no new confirmed cases appear for 42 days. There have been at least 1, 093 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola in the current outbreak. Humans contract the virus from infected animals or other humans through contact with bodily fluids. Typically, the virus kills around 90 % of those who are infected. But thanks to early treatment, the number has dropped to 60 % in the current outbreak. Because it can take between 2 and 21 days for symptoms to show, health officials suggest keeping a 21 day fever watch. In addition to fever, other symptoms are headaches, joint pain, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing, and sore throat. In later stages, Ebola causes diarrhea, vomiting, and internal bleeding. Though it's been almost 40 years since the disease was first discovered in 1976, the grim reality is that there are currently no cures or effective treatments for the virus. 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