We’ve all read the headlines and heard the newscasts: the 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, and is primarily affecting the countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (all in West Africa).

Here at Invisible Children, we are no strangers to the Ebola virus; in 2012, an outbreak spread across Uganda, personally affecting some of our friends, beneficiaries and staff members in the region, but was quickly contained. The news surrounding this virus can often be overwhelming and confusing at best, leading to a spread of false and conflicting information. So, we’re here to shed some light on this virus, and lay out what’s currently taking place in the affected regions.

Where does Ebola come from?

The Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, Zaire (present-day DR Congo). Yambuku is situated next to the river Ebola that gave its name to the virus.

Initially, it was believed that the virus originated in gorillas because human outbreaks began after people ate gorilla meat. Today, however, scientists believe that bats are the natural reservoir for the virus. Apes and humans catch the virus by eating food that bats have defecated on or by coming in contact with infected surfaces.

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Where is the present outbreak?

Since December 2013, the Ebola-Zaire virus has infected 5,692 and killed 4,922, making it the largest Ebola outbreak on record. The countries most affected by the virus are Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. One person was infected in Senegal, but the country was reportedly free of Ebola transmission on 17 October 2014. It was also confirmed that 19 people in Nigeria were infected by the virus, eight of whom died. However, no new cases have been diagnosed in Nigeria since August 31, suggesting that the spread of the virus into both Senegal and Nigeria has been contained.

As for the United States, NPR reported on Oct. 23 that the chances of an individual contracting Ebola in America this year are 1 in 13.3 million. As of now, there have only been 4 reported cases in the U.S.

What about the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

The outbreak in DR Congo can be traced back to a pregnant woman from Ikanamongo, a village in the northeastern province of Equateur, who came into contact with the blood of a bush animal that had been killed by her husband. The woman had no history of travel to West Africa, so it is unlikely that the DRC outbreak has any relation to the one in West Africa.

As of October 9, 2014, 68 cases of the Ebola virus had been reported in DR Congo, with 49 resulting in death. The country has seen seven outbreaks of the Ebola virus since 1976, but according to Stephan Günther, a virologist at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany, who is currently working at labratory in Nigeria, “[DR Congo] is the country that has the most experience of dealing with the virus and that gives me some hope.”

Fighting Ebola Requires a Global Effort

The Ebola epidemic is an international public health emergency that requires a global approach. There are more than a dozen Ebola drugs in development, but currently none have demonstrated efficacy in treating the virus. International organizations such as the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières are working together with local communities to prevent the spread of the disease and to tackle the stigmatization of people who have been infected. Check out the World Health Organization’s website for more info on how communities are working together to support infected persons and to bring an end to the epidemic.