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Mary Mallon, known as "Typhoid Mary," was immune to the typhoid she carried. Working as a cook, she spread the disease in New York and ended up quarantined on Brother Island (above) for more than two decades.

Mary Mallon, known as "Typhoid Mary," was immune to the typhoid she carried. Working as a cook, she spread the disease in New York and ended up quarantined on Brother Island (above) for more than two decades. Bettmann/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Bettmann/Corbis

Health

Awful Moments In Quarantine History: Remember Typhoid Mary?

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Quarantines have been imposed on the sick and contagious for thousands of years. We look at the use — and abuse — of this strategy to stop the spread of disease.

Dallas-area resident James Faulk turned his yard into an Ebola treatment center for Halloween. But he has a serious side: his Twitter account raises funds for Doctors Without Borders, a group active in the fight against the virus.

Dallas-area resident James Faulk turned his yard into an Ebola treatment center for Halloween. But he has a serious side: his Twitter account raises funds for Doctors Without Borders, a group active in the fight against the virus. Tom Pennington/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Daily Life

So For Halloween You're Dressing Up As ... A Sexy Ebola Nurse?

by Kate Parkinson-Morgan

Why are infectious disease costumes even a thing? It's actually a relatively new development in Halloween history, but there are precedents. See: Plague Doctor mask, Venice.

Domitilia, 57, is a diabetic patient in the Dominican Republic who contracted tuberculosis. She's now cured of TB after two years of treatment.

Domitilia, 57, is a diabetic patient in the Dominican Republic who contracted tuberculosis. She's now cured of TB after two years of treatment. Javier Galeano/The Union hide caption

itoggle caption Javier Galeano/The Union

Health

Unlikely Marriage Of Diseases: TB And Diabetes Form A 'Co-Epidemic'

by Richard Knox

The risk of developing tuberculosis soars when someone has diabetes. The threat of a double pandemic is a challenge for the medical profession, where different docs typically treat each disease.

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Mumadou Traore says the Ivory Coast's French bureaucracy is a "blessing" when it comes to Ebola.

Mumadou Traore says the Ivory Coast's French bureaucracy is a "blessing" when it comes to Ebola. Gregory Warner/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Gregory Warner/NPR

Health

No Ebola, S'il Vous Plait, We're French: The Ivory Coast Mindset

The country borders Liberia and Guinea, but so far Ebola hasn't arrived. Maybe it's because of the French heritage. When the authorities tell people what to do to keep the virus out, they listen.

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An Ebola health alert is displayed at the entrance to Bellevue Hospital in New York City, where Dr. Craig Spencer was quarantined after showing symptoms consistent with the virus.

An Ebola health alert is displayed at the entrance to Bellevue Hospital in New York City, where Dr. Craig Spencer was quarantined after showing symptoms consistent with the virus. Bryan Thomas/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Bryan Thomas/Getty Images

Health

American Volunteers In Liberia Are Anti-Quarantine

They fear that the threat of isolating a returning health worker for 21 days will cause a drop in the number of volunteers at a time when more medical staff is needed to quash the outbreak.

The nursing staff get a break at the Ebola care center run by Doctors Without Borders in Foya, Liberia. The center has helped stop the spread of the virus.

The nursing staff get a break at the Ebola care center run by Doctors Without Borders in Foya, Liberia. The center has helped stop the spread of the virus. Michealeen Doucleff/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Michealeen Doucleff/NPR

Health

An Ebola Strategy Brings Good News To One Liberian Town

The town of Foya has had no new cases in a month. Credit goes to a care center and an ongoing effort to calm fears and allow family members to communicate with patients — and view the dead.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (right) and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo both insist on mandatory quarantine for healthcare workers who've had contact with Ebola patients. Christie wants them held in a medical facility; Cuomo says a home quarantine with outside monitoring would do.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (right) and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo both insist on mandatory quarantine for healthcare workers who've had contact with Ebola patients. Christie wants them held in a medical facility; Cuomo says a home quarantine with outside monitoring would do. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Lennihan/AP

Health

Medical Journal To Governors: You're Wrong About Ebola Quarantine

Govs. Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo have called for mandatory quarantine for "high risk" individuals returning from Ebola-stricken countries. The New England Journal of Medicine begs to differ.

Congolese editor Solange Lusiku Nsimire says journalism is a powerful way of building and preserving her troubled country's "collective memory."

Congolese editor Solange Lusiku Nsimire says journalism is a powerful way of building and preserving her troubled country's "collective memory." Sylvain Muyali/Courtesy of IWMF hide caption

itoggle caption Sylvain Muyali/Courtesy of IWMF

Daily Life

A Congolese Mother Of Six Is Honored For Her Death-Defying Journalism

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Solange Lusiku Nsimire, an editor who has been subjected to death threats and whose family has been attacked, has won a courage award for her journalism in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross sent text messages across the country with health tips, locations of aid and safety reminders. A similar system is being used in Sierra Leone to combat Ebola.

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross sent text messages across the country with health tips, locations of aid and safety reminders. A similar system is being used in Sierra Leone to combat Ebola. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies hide caption

itoggle caption International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Health

The Red Cross Is Using Text Messaging To Take Down Ebola

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Working with the government, the Red Cross sends 2 million texts a month to people in Sierra Leone, reminding them to wash their hands, take their temperature and protect themselves from Ebola.

A female sanitation worker wears standard gear for a Doctors Without Borders Ebola center. The outfit includes rubber boots, goggles, a face mask, a hood, three layers of gloves, a Tyvek suit and thick rubber apron. No exposed skin is allowed. She was photographed in Monrovia, Liberia.

A female sanitation worker wears standard gear for a Doctors Without Borders Ebola center. The outfit includes rubber boots, goggles, a face mask, a hood, three layers of gloves, a Tyvek suit and thick rubber apron. No exposed skin is allowed. She was photographed in Monrovia, Liberia. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption John W. Poole/NPR

Gear Wars: Whose Ebola Protective Suit Is Better?

Is it OK to expose a glimmer of skin? Is a thicker suit better? Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization have different standards.

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Patient Nina Pham is hugged by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outside of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., on Friday. Pham was discharged after testing free of Ebola.

Patient Nina Pham is hugged by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outside of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., on Friday. Pham was discharged after testing free of Ebola. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Health

Fighting The Stigma Of Ebola With Hugs

When President Obama and Dr. Anthony Fauci hugged Dallas nurse Nina Pham on Friday, it was as much to combat the stigma surrounding the deadly virus as to celebrate her survival.