I understand that aspect of it, but the truth is that the numbers, when compared to the total world population size, are still not that high.
The way this thing is being reported is very wierd. Something stinks and I can’t put my finger on what it is, yet.
The issue is doubling the numbers every 28 days. We're over 9,000 known cases today, 18,000 in mid-November, 36,000 in early December, 72,000 at the end of the year, 144,000 by the end of January. Include the fact that WHO/CDC believes the actual numbers are 2.5 to 4 times as big (or more), and you're talking 350,000 to 500,000 by the end of January, 2015.
It's worse though. Doubling times in Guinea are shorter. Doubling times in the cities are much shorter. We could easily be over a million in January, and from there it could get unpleasant. Imagine survivors from among the 12,000,000 people in those three countries trying to run to safety, some of them carrying Ebola with them as they cross borders and lie about where they are from so they will not be turned back. Imagine them trying to reach Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia to get better medical care if they get sick. This is real, and it will take a miracle to contain it. There are treatments and vaccines in the pipeline, but we're not ready and won't be until June at the earliest.