Professor Peter Piot (left) spoke at length about his experiences of the Ebola virus and predictions for how the current outbreak can be tackled. He said: 'In theory it is very easy to control but this outbreak has got completely out of hand.' The international response is finally coming up to speed with the UK and US leading the way, with the 'abysmal reaction by the rest of Europe', prompting calls that more can be done. While the virus continues to ravage West Africa it will continue to pose a risk to countries across the world.

Ryan Smith, 17, from Chapel St Leonards in Lincolnshire, was left brain damaged when his bicycle was hit by a van in July 2013. He was left fighting for his life after he decided not to wear a helmet for fear it would ruin his hairstyle (pictured right while in a coma, and before the coma in the inset). Now, after months of rehabilitation he has learned to talk and stand up again (pictured left), and is even back at school where he receives therapy. He says that next he wants to re-learn to walk. His father, Mark Smith (pictured left), says he has 'stuck two fingers up' to many prognosis' which said he would never recover. Mr Smith is campaigning for a change in the law which would make it compulsory for all cyclists to wear helmets on the roads. He said: 'If you put a helmet on it will minimise any impacts that should you sustain them, you won’t put your family through what we’ve been through.’

Peter Lloyd, 42, has been confined to a sofa in his home in St Fagans in Cardiff (left), and is unable to use any electrical gadgets like TVs, phones and CD players in case it causes a severe reaction. Visitors have to leave mobile phones and watches outside and he cannot use mains electricity for heating or lighting his home – forcing him to wash with water heated on a gas cooker and live by candlelight (top right). The former personal fitness instructor first noticed symptoms in his mid-twenties (bottom right) and his condition has gradually declined since. Mr Lloyd, who cannot walk, currently faces being evicted from his home after his landlord became disgruntled that the house was not being heated. He is fighting a campaign for Cardiff Council to move him to a purpose-built wooden hut in an isolated location. Pictures have been taken on a disposable camera due to his sensitivity to digital ones.

Ex-Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton is championing new healthy eating campaign across UK's schools. The TV star came across children who have never eaten fruit or vegetables. Helen (pictured with children at Berrymede Junior School in London - one of the healthier schools from the programme) said: 'I don't think they realise what is a healthy choice is in a lot of cases. Strawberry sweets - so many kids think that counts as fruit, it's quite sad.'

Olivia Diamond, from Accrington, died of acute myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a virus - four days after first complaining of feeling ill with the flu. Myocarditis cases range in cause and severity. Some recover completely, but it can cause serious health problems.

Public health experts advise on how to keep germ free this winter, in a video from Intel. Dr Lisa Ackerley, Professorial Fellow at the Royal Society of Public Health warned of the 'sneeze effect'. Flushing the loo without putting the seat down leads to germs spraying over the cubicle, and possibly landing on the seat and the toilet paper. Then the bacteria could be transferred to people's hands and spread around the office in a matter of hours (pictured bottom left and right). It's known that there are more than 3,000 organisms per square inch can be found on a keyboard (pictured top right) and over 1,600 a computer mouse (pictured top left). Tips to avoid the germs include putting the loo seat down before flushing, using hand sanitizer, washing hands with antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds and drying hands thoroughly after washing.

The World Action on Salt and Health conducted a survey analysing salt content in iconic products made by McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Subway, Kellogg's and Nestle and found huge variations in salt levels depending on which country the product was made in. Experts have criticised the 'chaotic approach' by manufacturers to the levels in various foods, which include a Big Mac, Cornflakes, KFC Twister burger, Bacon Double Cheeseburger and Fitness cereal. A number of the retailers told MailOnline salt levels in food is a 'complex issue' which is 'influenced by a variety of factors, including culture and individual preferences', that are considered on a product-by-product basis. But while the variation may appear to be the result of different taste preferences, experts at WASH said the theory is disproved by the findings. A spokesman for WASH said: 'Global taste preferences cannot be blamed for the difference in salt content, as no one country consistently has the saltiest foods.'For example, the USA has the most salty Kellogg's Special K, but the least salty Kellogg's All Bran.'

A video shows a mother combing millions of squirming insects out of her daughter's hair, which experts have identified as head lice. Head lice, also known as pediculosis capitis, are tiny insects that live in human hair, which grow to the size of a sesame seed. They feed by biting the scalp and feeding on blood and multiply rapidly. Ms Dee Wright, founder of the Hairforce salons which offer a specialised ‘Lice Assasins’ service said this is one of the more extreme cases she has faced before in her salons. However, in extreme cases lice can form 'nests' in which they clump together, fighting for survival. The lice could be harming the child's health, she said, as lice carry bacteria.

Zach Zeiler, from Ida, Michigan, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010 at the age of 15 (pictured left) - which saw his weight plummet to just 100lbs. But Zach went on to beat cancer and is now a bodybuilder. His impressive new physique (shown right) is the result of working out for two hours each and every day - which he began during treatment. He now posts videos on YouTube in a bid to inspire others.

Donna Rees had been terrified of the eight-legged creatures since the age of three - and admits she went to extreme lengths to avoid them. As well as nearly crashing her car after seeing a spider, she also dragged strangers into the house to remove them and ran into the street in her nightwear after discovering one. She told ITV's This Morning: 'The phobia has affected  my whole life.' But today, the curse was finally lifted after she received therapy on the show. Thanks to the help of celebrity psychotherapists Nik and Eva Speakman, Mrs Rees went from barely being able to look at a spider to holding a huge tarantula. The couple say their unique brand of therapy encourages people to confront patterns or beliefs set in their childhoods.

Ayesha Jones, 24, from Birmingham was born with a curved spine (pictured left), and diagnosed with scoliosis at age 13. Her doctor advised she should have invasive 'spinal fusion' surgery in which a metal rod is inserted into the back. He said she would be a 'pretty girl with an ugly back' without the operation. After deciding not to have the surgery purely for cosmetic reasons, she wanted to prove him wrong and worked hard to become a model (right). But after travelling down to London on her own for a photo-shoot, one designer turned her away, saying her back was unsightly. This made her realise focusing on looks isn't healthy and she trained to become a visual artist. She now wants to inspire other scoliosis sufferers that it's OK to have a curved spine. She said: 'I came to realize over time that my body is my shell and as long as it is healthy, I'm good.'

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, Dr Hilary Jones explained a monthly examination should take several minutes - much longer than the cursory swipe many women may perform in the shower. To remind viewers what to do, he performed a live breast examination a female volunteer. When he did the same last year, it led to many women being diagnosed, including viewer Lisa Maddison. Today, as he reminded viewers of the correct procedure, Dr Hilary told presenter Lorraine Kelly: 'The key is to be breast aware - look at your breasts and feel them. Has anything changed? That's the vital thing.’ With the help of the model, Sue, Dr Hilary then proceeded to show viewers exactly how to perform a breast examination.

You might think one cigarette 'can't hurt'. But it could cost a smoker almost 14 minutes of their life, according to new calculations. A new website has worked out how much time a smoker, or a drug addict will lose, each time they use. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day cuts ten years off a person's life, the website claims. Alcoholics cut their lives short by 23 years, while chronic cocaine users lose 34 years, it adds. Treatment4addiction, a website providing information people with drug and alcohol addictions, has calculated how many years an addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone and heroine are cutting from their lives by continued use. Mephamphetamine addicts live to an average age of just 36, while heroin addicts don't fare much better, dying at on average at just 38 years old.

Shelby Magnani (right) of Iowa had an eye-opening experience last week when she went to the doctor for a stomach ache and later rushed to the hospital where she gave birth to rare twins (left). Shelby Magnani and James Croskey of Ankeny, Iowa had no idea Shelby was pregnant with one child let alone two. Monoamniotic twins Ava and Anna were born by C-section last Thursday weighing just four and three pounds each.

Edward Smith, 63 (right top, bottom), from Washington State, told presenters Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden (left) is a mechaphile, meaning he is sexually interested in machines. He had real-life girlfriends in secondary school, university and one as an adult, but says these relationships didn't fully satisfy him. He boasts he has had sex with more than 700 cars (he is pictured bottom right kissing one), as well as planes and a helicopter. Ate age 14 he lost his virginity to his neighbour's Volkswagen beetle. This sparked a voracious appetite for sex with cars which led to him having threesomes in car parks and car showrooms. But he has now settled down with a white 1969 model Volkswagen he calls Vanilla, whom he greets every morning, drives, talks to and bathes. The depth of his love for Vanilla means he often gets scared about mechanical faults or crashes. 'There’s a very deep love that I wouldn’t want anything to separate us after 32 years,' he said.