Ebola Epidemic Said To Be 'Out of Control' in Africa: If AIDS Couldn't Do 'The Job' — Maybe Ebola Will

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue) budding
from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (yellow-green). (Photo from NIAID)

By Danielle Dellorto
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has hit "unprecedented" proportions, according to relief workers on the ground.

"The epidemic is out of control," Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations for Doctors Without Borders, said in statement.

There have been 567 cases and 350 deaths since the epidemic began in March, according to the latest World Health Organization figures.

Ebola virus outbreaks are usually confined to remote areas, making it easier to contain. But this outbreak is different; patients have been identified in 60 locations in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Officials believe the wide footprint of this outbreak is partly because of the close proximity between the jungle where the virus was first identified and cities such as Conakry. The capital in Guinea has a population of 2 million and an international airport.

People are traveling without realizing they're carrying the deadly virus. It can take between two and 21 days for someone to feel sick after they've been exposed.

Ebola is a violent killer. The symptoms, at first, mimic the flu: headache, fever, tiredness. What comes next sounds like something out of a horror movie: significant diarrhea and vomiting, while the virus shuts off the blood's ability to clot.

Read More