Trends & Times

Ebola Outbreak Is Worse Than Previously Thought

Published August 15, 2014 at 12:06 PM EDT

A burial team prepares to collect the dead body of a woman suspected of dying of the Ebola virus on August 14, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Teams of undertakers wearing protective clothing are collecting victims from all over the capital Monrovia, where the spread of the highly contagious and deadly Ebola virus has been called catastrophic. The epidemic has killed more than 1,000 people in four West African countries. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The United Nations has announced that the outbreak of Ebola is worse than previously thought, and Liberia has become the epicenter of reported cases. Liberia is the fifth poorest country in the world and its medical system is ill-equipped to handle the spread of Ebola.

NPR Global Health Correspondent Jason Beaubien has been in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, reporting on the Ebola outbreak. He talks to Here & Now’s Robin Young about the situation in Liberia, how medical and government workers are handling the crisis and what the international community is doing to help curb the disease.

“Even being incredibly careful — which I am — it’s frightening, being here. It gets into the back of your mind. You just are thinking about it,” he explained. “In a war zone, you sort of know what the danger is. This is something completely different.”

Guest

Jason Beaubien, global health and development correspondent for NPR. He tweets @jasonbnpr.