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Health care workers are among those most at risk of catching Ebola
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The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has now declared an international health emergency in response. According to the UN, 961 people have died since February in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.
The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.
