When Ebola Looms: Human outbreaks follow animal infections

Before two recent human outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in a region of Africa prone to epidemics of the disease, researchers identified the virus in wild-animal carcasses. Animal deaths could therefore signal a need for prevention efforts that would save people from dying, the researchers say.

SKULL AND BONES. Veterinarians discovered these remains of an Ebola-infected gorilla in the Republic of Congo in 2002, shortly before the virus spread to people there.