The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa started in late 2013, and as of August 19th there have been 2240 cases and 1229 deaths. The virus is spreading through Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, and has infected aid workers from the US, UK, Spain, and possibly Germany and India. In response to this ongoing and unprecedented Ebola outbreak, a team of researchers
has sequenced and analyzed 99 Ebola virus genomes, providing vital information about the origin and transmission of this outbreak.
Ebola has an average case fatality rate of 78%.
Here is a really great (but somewhat graphic - you've been warned) article about what Ebola does to your body. In a nutshell, it starts out with a fever, sore throat, muscle pains, and headache (a lot like the flu). As the virus progresses, your ravaged immune system releases what is known as a "
cytokine storm", where your immune system begins attacking your organs in an attempt to get rid of the virus. This leads to hemorrhagic fever, which causes the infected person to bleed to death. It's some pretty gross stuff, and completely devastating.