The victims bleed from the nose, ears, mouth and eyes. For many, it is a very slow and painful death. The virus runs its course in about a week. For every 10 patients with Ebola, seven die. Viruses are difficult, and often impossible, to treat because they mutate quickly.
Viruses survive and spread by incorporating themselves into another organism's cells.
Because viruses mutate often, the CDC can best deal with them by preventive measures. This was the CDC's goal when it sent a team of scientists, including Dowell, to try to control the Zairian epidemic in June. When they first arrived, they found terrified citizens, an empty hospital and an ever-expanding graveyard. It was a scary place. The CDC team became the only real link Kikwit had to the outside world, and its best hope for fighting Ebola.