The death of the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. has sparked fears and has led to tighter screening at airports for people traveling from affected nations. Dr. Art Reingold, a renowned infectious diseases expert at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health, explains the basics about Ebola.

"It’s what we call a hemorraghic fever virus, so it causes high fever, bleeding and it’s a virus that’s found in Africa, usually in bats and then spreads to people. It’s a highly lethal virus when it gets into a person with fifty or sixty percent of such people dying once they develop symptoms."

The virus is spread through direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. In the African countries where it’s spreading, a lack of even basic healthcare resources is a big factor.

"We as individuals here in the United States really can go about our normal business, unless someone is either traveling to the region or in direct contact with an ill individual from one of these countries, they’re really not at risk of Ebola and they don’t need to change their day-to-day activities."