I don't mean to imply that people are powerless in the face of Ebola. But there is no effective vaccine or treatment for Ebola right now. Actually, there are public health control measures that can slow down the spread and then the outbreak burns itself out, which is generally what has happened with all the previous Ebola outbreaks. But in this case, with such a widespread outbreak among multiple population centers, it is exceedingly difficult to try and slow down the outbreak enough so that the outbreak falters and dissipates.

The WHO Ebola Response Team just published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine explaining the current situation. One of their conclusions is that without an effective response, Ebola could become endemic in West Africa and just keep circulating in the population. It could become one of those diseases that travelers to West Africa will have to be wary of.