Ebola: Why is it this disease we fear?

Dr Stacey Mearns has been keeping a video diary of her work helping people with Ebola in Sierra Leone. In part three she talks about some of her toughest challenges.

 By Alex Kajumulo in USAThe media is talking about Ebola so much right now. Ebola has been in Africa since 1970. It has been killing just poor people before. The pharmacist didn't care about developing vaccinations. Because this disease was only killing Africa poor people. To develop a vaccine is expensive and the pharmacist didn't have enough market so they gave up. MALARIA kills 3,000 people everyday. Nobody talks about malaria because again, it only really affects poor people. If you have...

Just as the African story was beginning to sound interesting again, now that we were learning to forget the violence in Central African Republic and South Sudan, along comes Ebola and it spoils the party.

As the death toll from Ebola mounts across west Africa, there is growing concern about what the cost will be to the region's economies.

A mural in a Medecins Sans Frontieres Ebola treatment centre in Liberia challenges the belief that there is "no cure" for the disease.

Tourist arrivals into Tanzania dropped by 25 per cent this month amid reports that the number of travel inquiries fell by up to 50 per cent due to the outbreak of Ebola disease in West Africa, it was revealed here yesterday.

Statement on the meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee for Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  World Health OrganizationAway from coronavirus, DR Congo battles deadly measles outbreak  RFIUNHCR, partners seek US$621 million to support DRC refugees and hosting communities - Democratic Republic of the Congo  ReliefWebJubilation as Congo discharges last Ebola patient  Daily MonitorUNHCR, partners seek US$621 million to support DRC refugees and hosting...

Disease is one of three enemies that have dogged Tanzania for decades. At independence over 50 years ago, it was condemned as an avowed enemy along with ignorance and poverty.

A "mysterious" disease has killed at least 18 people in the past several days in south-eastern Nigeria, local officials say.