Scale of Ebola Epidemic 'Unprecedented'

The scale of the Ebola epidemic that has now killed at least 80 people in Guinea is "unprecedented," according to Doctors Without Borders. "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases in the country," says a coordinator at the medical charity. Cases of the disease are scattered among several distant locations, which will make the epidemic more difficult to control, Reuters reports.

As the outbreak grows, Senegal has closed its border with Guinea, and other neighboring countries are restricting travel. The hemorrhagic fever is one of the most lethal infectious diseases in the world, with a fatality rate as high as 90%. The current fatality rate is 63%, the Verge reports. Ebola has recently spread to more populated areas, including Conakry, the country's capital. There are also seven suspected and confirmed cases in Liberia, and five suspected cases in Sierra Leone. (In related disease news, a new study finds that the Black Death wasn't actually a bubonic plague.)