Global Journalist: Ebola in West Africa

There has been a lot of media coverage lately dedicated to the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa, which is estimated to have killed at least 2,300 people. The outbreak began in December 2013, when the first cases of Ebola virus were reported in Guinea, located in western Africa. Since then, the disease has spread to neighboring Senegal and Sierra Leone, and from there to Liberia. Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization, warn that unless immediate action is taken quickly, the outbreak could become unmanageable. Already, this outbreak has infected and killed more people than all other Ebola outbreaks combined, and countries and medical officials alike are wondering just what to do next. In the U.S., President Obama has said the U.S. military would send as many as 3,000 people to Africa to try to bring the epidemic under control. Today on Global Journalist, we look at the Ebola outbreak and the challenges of reporting on it.