Projects per year
Abstract
The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease was of unprecedented magnitude, duration and impact. Analysing 1610 Ebola virus genomes, representing over 5% of known cases, we reconstruct the dispersal, proliferation and decline of Ebola virus throughout the region. We test the association of geography, climate and demography with viral movement among administrative regions, inferring a classic ‘gravity’ model, with intense dispersal between larger and closer populations. Despite attenuation of international dispersal after border closures, cross-border transmission had already set the seeds for an international epidemic, rendering these measures ineffective in curbing the epidemic. We address why the epidemic did not spread into neighbouring countries, showing they were susceptible to significant outbreaks but at lower risk of introductions. Finally, we reveal this large epidemic to be a heterogeneous and spatially dissociated collection of transmission clusters of varying size, duration and connectivity. These insights will help inform interventions in future epidemics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 309–315 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Nature |
| Volume | 544 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Apr 2017 |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Virus genomes reveal factors that spread and sustained the Ebola epidemic'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 3 Finished
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COMPARE: COllaborative Management Platform for detection and Analyses of (Re-)emerging and foodborne outbreaks in Europe
Woolhouse, M. (Principal Investigator)
1/12/14 → 30/11/19
Project: Research
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PREDEMICS:Preparedness,Prediction and Prevention of Emerging Zoonotic Viruses with Pandemic Potential using Multidiscipliinary Approach
Rambaut, A. (Principal Investigator)
1/11/11 → 30/04/17
Project: Research
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VIRAL PHYLOGEOGRAPHY: Evolutionary reconstruction of viral spread in time and space
Rambaut, A. (Principal Investigator)
1/10/10 → 30/09/15
Project: Research
Datasets
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Virus genomes reveal factors that spread and sustained the Ebola epidemic
Dudas, G. (Creator), Lemey, P. (Creator) & Rambaut, A. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 15 Feb 2017
DOI: 10.7488/ds/1711
Dataset
Profiles
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Andrew Rambaut
- School of Biological Sciences - Personal Chair in Molecular Evolution
Person: Academic: Research Active
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