- Ebola: 9 things to know about killer virusThe facts about Ebola(CNN) - Hundreds of people are dead as the worst Ebola virus outbreak in history sweeps through West Africa.
It began as a handful of cases in Guinea in March but quickly spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Here are nine things to know about what the World Health Organization calls "one of the world's most virulent diseases."
Why does Ebola generate such fear?
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) describes Ebola as "one of the world's most deadly diseases."
"It is a highly infectious virus that can kill up to 90% of the people who catch it, causing terror among infected communities," it says.
There is also no vaccination against it.
Of Ebola's five subtypes, the Zaire strain -- the first to be identified -- is considered the most deadly.
The WHO said preliminary tests on the Ebola virus in Guinea in March suggested that the outbreak there was this strain, though that has not been confirmed.
What is Ebola?
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