The deadly disease has currently killed at least 3000 people in west Africa, and, has now infected people outside the region - with a doctor in New York testing positive for the virus.

So you can understand why this child burst into tears when his parents pranked him into thinking he was the latest Ebola victim.

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Staring ominously at a thermometer, the boy's mother (wearing a surgical mask) worriedly shows the temperature reading to her partner, the camera and the millions of viewers on YouTube.

"Oh hell no, he's got Ebola," says the child's father, who sounds American.

Cue the tears.

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But, with a 90% fatality rate, you really can't blame the little boy for failing to see the funny side of his 'diagnosis'.

Described as the world's worst medical crisis since Aids, the World Health organisation has said that they believe there will be 10,000 new Ebola virus cases worldwide per week in two months - so by about the end of the year.

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The illness often starts with a fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

This develops into vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, failing liver and kidney function and bleeding.