The Ebola outbreak in five sentences

1) This is the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever: the disease has crossed more borders (there are now confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone) and has killed more people (nearly 1,000) than any other outbreak in history.

2) Ebola is terrifyingly lethal, killing up to 90 percent of those infected; there are no effective treatments or cures on the market.

3) But Ebola is not actually that contagious: since transmission only happens through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person, it can be contained with simple precautionary measures and good sanitation.

4) Ebola is really a problem of broken and underfunded health systems that can't put those basic public-health measures into place.

5) This is a problem shared by other diseases in Africa, which sadly kill many more people than Ebola — and rarely capture the attention of a global R&D system designed to ignore unprofitable health issues facing the poor.

Explanatory journalism is a public good

At Vox, we believe that everyone deserves access to information that helps them understand and shape the world they live in. That's why we keep our work free. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$95/year

$120/year

$250/year

$350/year

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $120/year

Yes, I'll give $120/year

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via