The latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the worst in history — and in a globalized, jet-traveling world, the race is on to control it.
Since March, the World Health Organization has confirmed more than 670 people have died from Ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. There have been more than 1,200 reported cases, including two Americans aid workers.
Ebola is caused by a virus that is very easily spread from person to person. Up to 9 out of 10 people who contract the disease die of it. People who have been incubating the virus shed it in bodily fluids — through vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding — and contact with bodily fluids is how the disease spreads. There's no cure. There's no vaccine.
Rapid and intensive treatment for the infected, along with strict quarantine, can combat the disease's spread. And now, with a case reported in a fourth African country, Nigeria, the world faces the frightening prospect of a wider outbreak.
How is this outbreak different from previous ones?
What role does air travel play in Ebola's reach?
What can be done to contain its spread?
We consulted a panel of experts for the Inside Story.
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