Ebola

Stories about the 2014 Ebola crisis and preventative measures being taken in Massachusetts.

Violence, Distrust Pose Problems For Ebola Outbreak Responders In Congo

Ebola is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,100 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo now, making this the second worst outbreak ever.

Death Toll From Congo's Ebola Epidemic Surpasses 500

Ebola deaths top 500 in Congo. We have a report from the frontlines.

Liberia Cautiously Marks End Of Ebola After 4,700 Deaths

Seven months after Ebola swept through Liberia, Saturday officially marked the end of the epidemic that claimed more than 4,700 lives here.

MGH: Patient Tests Positive For Malaria; Initial Ebola Test Negative

A patient being monitored for possible Ebola at Massachusetts General Hospital has tested negative for the virus -- but did test positive for Malaria-- the hospital announced Wednesday.

Boston Nurse Records ‘Desperately Sad’ Experiences Treating Ebola Patients In Liberia

John Welch, a nurse anesthetist at Boston Children's Hospital is one of the small, but growing number of doctors, nurses and lab workers from Boston traveling to West Africa to...

Boston Doctor Agrees With Obama, Says Mandatory 21-Day Quarantine Too Harsh

Dr. Sara Stulac agrees with President Obama, saying health care workers need to be supported, not discouraged, from heading overseas.

Expert Opinion: Travel Bans And Quarantines For Ebola Could Backfire

An expert on responses to disease threats cautions that with Ebola, travel bans do little and quarantines must be used very rationally.

Rhode Island Journalist Heading Home After Ebola Recovery

Ashoka Mukpo, who had contracted the virus while working in Liberia as a freelance cameraman for NBC and other media outlets, was released from a Nebraska hospital's biocontainment unit Wednesday...

Reality Check: How People Catch Ebola, And How They Don't

A Boston University researcher who has worked on Ebola virus for more than 20 years lays out the state of knowledge on how Ebola is transmitted and how it is...

Ebola Tipping Point? Dispelling Myths And, Possibly, Less Hysteria Over Virus

Paul Farmer writes: An Ebola diagnosis need not be a death sentence...if patients are promptly diagnosed and receive aggressive supportive care – including fluid resuscitation, electrolyte replacement and blood products...

Local Coverage

Oct 21, 2014

Cpl. Zachary Wicker demonstrated the use of a germ-protective gear in Fort Bliss, Texas on Tuesday. (Juan Carlos Llorca/AP)

Opinion: Why America's Ebola Fears Are Dangerously Misplaced

Those of us who report on global public health have a sense of inevitability as we watch the Ebola crisis unfold. We always knew it would mostly affect, as Bishop...

Local Coverage

Oct 20, 2014

Listen: MGH Chief Of Infectious Disease Discusses Ebola Preparedness

How prepared is Massachusetts for Ebola? That was the question during a hearing at the State House Thursday.

Local Coverage

04:28Oct 16, 2014

A licensed clinician participates in a CDC training course in Alabama earlier this month for treating Ebola patients. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

Don't Worry, Be Rational: Why Extreme Fear Of Ebola Is Bad For Your Health

The health ramifications of this are profound: chronic stress raises our blood pressure and increases the risk of cardiovascular problems; it suppresses our immune system and makes us more likely...

Local Coverage

Oct 16, 2014

Mass. Nurses Union Expresses Concerns Over Ebola Preparedness

Donna Kelly-Williams, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, explains why she believes that Massachusetts is "not doing as well as we should be doing" in preparing hospitals to treat Ebola.

Local Coverage

04:42Oct 16, 2014

A World Health Organization worker trains nurses on how to use Ebola protective gear in Freetown, Sierra Leone last year. (AP)

Harvard Poll On Ebola Risk Finds Public Dazed And Very Confused

A poll finds that nearly 9 out of 10 Americans think someone can catch Ebola if an infected person sneezes or coughs on them.

Local Coverage

Oct 16, 2014

A Braintree cop places police tape around a Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates sign on Sunday. A patient there complained of Ebola-like symptoms, briefly closing the center. (Steven Senne/AP)

For Hospitals And Clinics: Insurance To Protect Against Losses From Ebola

How much money might hospitals lose during an Ebola-related quarantine? And will patients use hospitals that treat the virus? Insurance coverage would address those risks.

Local Coverage

Oct 16, 2014

Cpl. Zachary Wicker shows the use of a germ-protective gear in Fort Bliss, Texas, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. About 500 Fort Bliss soldiers are preparing for deployment to West Africa where they will provide support in a military effort to contain the Ebola outbreak. /Juan Carlos Llorca/AP)

8 Things You Need To Know About Ebola

Ebola has been dominating the headlines lately, raising fear about the disease spreading to Massachusetts. And after two recent scares about Ebola in Boston, state authorities are trying to reassure...

Local Coverage

Oct 14, 2014

Mass. Officials Try To Quell Ebola Fear

At this moment, in Massachusetts, the fear of Ebola may be more troubling than preparing for the possible cases.

Local Coverage

03:46Oct 14, 2014

(Ebola in Guinea/European Commission HG ECHO/flickr)

What The Boston Marathon Response Can Teach Us About Ebola: 5 Lessons

After the Marathon, we saw federal, state, and local agencies as well as organizations in the private and non-profit sectors came together as an integrated enterprise that can serve as...

Local Coverage

Oct 14, 2014

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, back in Boston (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

What A Boston Doctor Learned Treating Ebola Patients In Sierra Leone

We speak with Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, who traveled to Sierra Leone in August working as a WHO physician treating Ebola patients.

Local Coverage

05:05Oct 14, 2014