"Two of the world's top health organizations released predictions Tuesday warning how bad the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could get.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization agree that the epidemic is speeding up. But the CDC's worst-case scenario is a jaw-dropper: If interventions don't start working soon, as many as 1.4 million people could be infected by Jan. 20, the agency reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Health officials at the CDC in Atlanta don't pull the fire alarm if there isn't a fire. But 1.4 million cases by the end of January? Are they trying to scare us?"

Michaeleen Doucleff reports for NPR's All Things Considered September 23, 2014. [2]