Ebola Outbreak (02:04)

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CDC officials track the virus' spread. BBC Horizon meets doctors working on the front line and follows the race for a cure.

Patient Zero (02:09)

On December 6, 2013 a child in Guinea died of a mysterious fever—the first suspected Ebola case. Experts suspect he ate a fruit bat carrying the virus; learn how it spread regionally.

Ebola Frontlines (01:54)

The CDC believes a delay in identifying the virus will make it harder to contain. A nurse describes patient despair at a Doctors Without Borders treatment center in Guinea.

Ebola Physiology (01:13)

Learn how the virus reproduces and causes internal bleeding, diarrhea, and vomiting. 50% of patients survive; those with compromised immune systems suffer organ failure.

Handling Ebola Victims (00:54)

Most patients die within 12 days, but their bodies remain contagious. Learn how they are disinfected and disposed of.

Ebola Discovery (02:28)

The virus was identified in 1976 in Antwerp, Belgium. Scientists describe traveling to its source at a mission station in the Congo.

Ebola Infection (03:22)

Belgian scientists recall discovering how the disease was spread through physical contact and bodily fluids during a 1976 Congo outbreak.

Ebola Research (01:45)

British scientists study the virus to develop diagnostic technology and treatment.

Diagnosing Ebola (00:54)

Identifying patients quickly is important for containment. A British health worker describes testing blood samples in close patient proximity.

Inadequate Healthcare Systems (01:36)

By April 2014, Ebola spread from Guinea to Sierra Leone and Liberia. A nurse describes how the disease overwhelmed hospitals in Monrovia.

Preparing for Disease Spread (01:48)

The current outbreak is the worst since 1976. As the West African death toll increased, British teams readied isolation facilities.

Spreading to Nigeria (01:56)

On July 20, a man arriving from Monrovia collapsed in Lagos airport. Within a month several others were infected with Ebola—raising air travel concerns and pressuring scientists to find a cure.

Surviving Ebola (03:29)

In 2000, an outbreak infected 425 people in Gulu, Uganda. Survivors describe contracting the disease and symptoms.

Searching for Ebola Cure (03:13)

Virologists study Ebola survivors to understand their immune systems. They collect blood samples in Gulu to isolate key antibodies and study long term effects.

Immune System Research (02:17)

Uganda virologists study blood samples from Ebola survivors to understand how their antibodies defeated the virus. It will take up to five years to develop and test a vaccine.

ZMapp (04:44)

U.S. health workers Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol contracted Ebola in Liberia. Learn how they opted to take an experimental drug, and ethical questions involved.

ZMapp Origins (02:08)

Dr. Gary Kobinger explains how he used Ebola virus protein "spikes" to transfer genes for a cystic fibrosis treatment, and how it inspired him to research an Ebola cure.

Private Ebola Research (01:46)

Dr. Charles Arntzen explains how the virus' designation as a bio-terrorism threat provided funding to work on a cure.

Developing ZMapp (03:25)

Kobinger used antibodies produced by monkeys exposed to Ebola for an experimental drug. Brantly decided to risk the untested cure and his condition improved.

ZMapp Function (02:56)

Learn how the drug provides antibodies to slow Ebola's spread, allowing the immune system to create its own. 100% of infected monkeys recovered with multiple doses.

ZMapp Ethical Issues (01:09)

Brantly speaks to reporters about surviving Ebola. American workers were given treatment before African patients—raising questions.

Race for ZMapp (02:34)

Learn how tobacco plant proteins are used to make antibodies used in the Ebola treatment. The process is time consuming and difficult to scale up.

Ebola Human Cost (01:31)

As researchers search for a vaccine, the epidemic continues to spread in West Africa. A nurse recalls a patient's death without pain relief.

Credits: Ebola: The Search for a Cure (00:43)

Credits: Ebola: The Search for a Cure