Ebola- the mere word spreads fear like the plague itself does death. Perhaps, if we are not careful, this outbreak of Ebola could be the greatest disaster of the 21st century.

Contrary to what one might think, Ebola did not simply pop into existence over the summer. Researchers first discovered the disease in Uganda in 1976, and there have since been several sporadic outbreaks since then – all of which have been incurable. However, the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa (particularly Liberia and Sierra Leone) is already far worse than any of these previous outbreaks, with over 3,000 fatalities so far – and no end in sight. As has been observed in recent years and throughout history, we as a species are excellent at identifying problems, and yet fall dramatically short when it comes to solving them (climate change, economic crisis, using renewable resources etc.). And so the question looms; what do we do about it?

In order to perhaps thwart the disease, president Barack Obama has labeled the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a ¨national security priority” and has laid out a plan to send monetary, medical, and even military aid to disease-battered areas of West Africa, and various other nations are sending aid in forms of money and medical personnel. However, Ebola continues on its deadly path, and as of now, it seems it will continue to do so unless more decisive action is taken.

Here in the United States, it is easy to feel as though the outbreak will never affect us. This could very well change dramatically, though, when Ebola is at our very doorstep – especially with the current lack of a cure. After all, the President has called it a “global crisis” for a reason. Even if you do believe that Ebola is not truly a crisis that should be feared in North America, you cannot deny that thousands people are dying, and it needs to be stopped.