The Ebola outbreak in West Africa -- the worst outbreak of the virus in history -- has officially been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Nearly 1,000 people have died in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria so far in the outbreak.
As updates on case counts and country responses are continuously coming in, we wanted to share some of the compelling things we've read this week about the specifics of the outbreak. Check out our round-up below:
This piece from The Jalopnik shows the planning and preparation that went into transporting the U.S. aid workers who were infected with Ebola from Liberia to the U.S.
NBC News talked to the first non-African survivor of the Ebola virus -- Dr. Thomas Cairns, a doctor who was working in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1972. "I had a very high fever, intense aching, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, rash. My skin was peeling. I lost hearing in one ear for weeks. My hair turned white. We didn't know what was happening to me," Cairns said.
The Royal Free Hospital in London is ready to go in case it has to treat a patient infected with the Ebola virus. The Express has photos of the "isolator" beds, which include airtight tents and built-in suits for doctors and nurses to wear.
Marburg virus survivor Michelle Barnes, who calls herself "the only person known so far to have imported an Ebola-like disease to the United States uncontrolled," wrote a column for The Washington Post detailing her experiences. "I had no idea I was traveling the world while infected with a deadly virus," she wrote. "The symptoms began enroute -- a headache, a rash, nausea -- but for five days I lived my normal life, enjoying my family, going to Starbucks, shaking people’s hands. All the while, I was carrying this horrible disease at the height of its contagious period."
Vox tracked the destinations of airline travelers leaving the countries at the heart of the outbreak -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- to try and analyze where the outbreak has the potential to spread next.
Those Hazmat-looking suits doctors wear to treat Ebola patients are heavy-duty for a reason. TIME put together a video explaining the function of each element of the suit -- and potential consequences of not wearing it.
We at HuffPost also put together an explainer on what exactly happens when the Ebola virus enters the body, as well as a general timeline of symptoms. We also debunked some of the more pervasive myths about the deadly infection (no, bringing those two Ebola patients to the U.S. does not put Americans at risk). And HuffPost Business explained why Big Pharma isn't taking the lead on an Ebola vaccine.
And for news updates about the outbreak, be sure to check out all of HuffPost's Ebola coverage here.