Hemmoragic (sp?) fevers like Ebola and Marburg are really nasty. If I understand the nature of these diseases, even top-of-the-line medical care is generally ineffective. With the horrible medical care available in that part of the world, the only thing that can be done in many cases is to quarantine the area until the virus runs its course.
Quarantine. These viruses kill like the flu and fever blisters run their course. You catch the flu or get a fever blister you are getting better after 5-10 days. Marburg, Ebola your flat dead and not a pretty corpse. Quarantine, if you can stop the spread(ie contact) then the outbreak fizzles cause it kills so fast; if it gets out, well the sky is the limit. These outbreaks make the news but are contained as there is not a whole lot of traffic through these locations. I wonder what would be the scenario if there would be an outbreak in a locale like Thailand, or some such Euro-trash vacation area. I realize the conditions are not right for that occurring, but hell, where did West Nile come from? Beware the flu on a Airbust from Thailand!
In a first world country the death rate will only be about 50% until the critical care wards are full, then it's going to be just as high as in the third world, over 90%
If this breaks out of Africa it could be a slate wiper.
So9