Timeline: The world's worst-ever Ebola outbreak

2 December, 2013 – 1 death

Suspected first death in the current outbreak, a two-year-old child in south-eastern Guinea

23 March, 2014 – 29 deaths, 49 cases

World Health Organisation confirms Guinea’s Ministry of Health has notified it of “a rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola”

• City workers wear green t-shirts warning of Ebola in the Liberian capital Monrovia (Picture: AFP/Getty)

1 April – 84 deaths, 130 cases

Liberia and Sierra Leone report cases

28 April – 143 deaths, 224 cases

15 May – 171 deaths, 248 cases

4 June – 214 deaths, 427 cases

1 July – 467 deaths, 759 cases

• Medical workers in Monrovia, responsible for transporting the bodies of Ebola virus victims, must wear protective suits (Picture: AFP/Getty)

19 July – 632 deaths, 1,048 cases

31 July – 729 deaths, 1,323 cases

Nigeria reports first case

8 August

WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international health emergency

• Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General (Picture: Getty)

11 August – 1,013 deaths, 1848 cases

12 August

WHO approves use of experimental treatments and calls for clinical trials

28 August

US NIH and GSK announce trials of experimental Ebola vaccine

3 September

British Ebola patient William Pooley out of hospital following treatment with ZMapp

• William Pooley, centre, shortly before being discharged from hospital (Picture: PA)

5 September – 2,097 deaths, 3,944 cases

WHO holds urgent meeting to assess drug and vaccine response

More: Six reasons why it's not time to panic about Ebola in the UK