The U.S. is set to dedicate 3,000 troops and more than $500 million to support efforts to slow the Ebola epidemic, recently described by the World Heath Organization as “unparalleled in modern times.”

+ Mic: Why the world should actually care about Africa’s Ebola epidemic, in one alarming chart.

+ Aeon: In the battle against disease, the difference between a raging epidemic and a passing fever comes down to a single number.

+ Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter provides an interesting look at Hollywood’s Vaccine Wars: L.A.’s “Entitled” Westsiders Behind City’s Epidemic.