Ebola crisis in West Africa deepens; 500+ dead

By Krista Larson

Published July 14, 2014 10:47am ET

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Ebola crisis in West Africa deepens; 500+ dead — In this photo taken on July 8, 2014, Ebola advocacy group Crusaders for Peace, spokesperson Juli Endee, right, educates people on the deadly virus in Paynesville, east of the city Monrovia, Liberia. Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever that can cause its victims to bleed from the ears and nose, had never before been seen in this part of West Africa where medical clinics are few and far between. The disease has turned up in at least two other countries _ Liberia and Sierra Leone _ and 539 deaths have been attributed to the outbreak that is now the largest on record. (AP Photo/Jonathan Paye-Layleh) | Jonathan Paye-Layleh

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Deep in the forests of southern Guinea, the first victims fell ill with high fevers. People assumed it was the perennial killer malaria and had no reason to fear touching the bodies, as is the custom in traditional funerals.

Some desperate relatives brought their loved ones to the distant capital in search of better medical care, unknowingly spreading what ultimately was discovered to be Ebola, one of the world’s most deadly diseases.

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