I think there's some exaggeration of ebola when you consider the lack of splashy headlines about heart disease, which by the numbers, is arguably far more important.

That said, if there are rare issues where sensationalism might be justified, this might be one. This is one of those areas where preventative aid funding is incredibly hard to muster, even though money spent in containing the outbreak now could have an oversized impact.

More at Radiolab on this: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/09/26/351515481/episode-...

Famines are similar, apparently aid workers all know they're coming, but just no one cares enough to donate until it's far too late to prevent.