The World Health Organization said a deadly Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa has hit unprecedented proportions and is threatening to spin out of control, and probably out of Africa.

"The epidemic is out of control," said Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the French- humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

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MSF has sent 300 staff members and 40 tons of equipment and supplies to the region to help fight the Ebola epidemic.

WHO said "drastic action is needed" to stop the deadly Ebola virus outbreak that has infected at least 600 people and caused 360 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Ebola epidemic only began in March, said WHO.

There is no specific treatment for the Ebola virus. The disease's high death rate can reach 90 percent. Ebola typically occurs in outbreaks in tropical regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Symptoms of the Ebola virus disease, otherwise known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, consist of fever, throat and muscle pains and headaches that manifest two days to three weeks after contracting the virus.

The initial symptoms are followed by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. Victims often suffer internal and external hemorrhaging. Many die within 10 days.

Ebola remains contained in Sub-Saharan Africa but the possibility of its spreading beyond this region remains.

"The chance of Ebola spreading out of West Africa is very, very low," believes Kamran Khan, an infectious disease specialist with St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

"But if it did spread, Paris is probably the first city on the list."

Khan explained thaty major city affected by an Ebola outbreak is Conakry, Guinea, which has an international airport.

"The volume of travel in the Conakry airport is low," said Khan. "Most of the flights are local. But 10 percent of the traffic goes to Paris."

But even if this event does occur, the odds of fellow passengers on a passenger aircraft catching Ebola are very low, according to Dr. Mark Gendreau, who specializes in aviation medicine at Lahey Medical Center in Massachusetts. He said Ebola isn't easily transmitted from person to person.

"Transmission requires very close contact with bodily fluids, like blood or mucus," Gendreau said. "You need prolonged contact with somebody."

MSF said the current outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia will be considered contained after 42 days if there are no new Ebola cases.