Ebola Stocks Jump On News Ebola Has Hit The U.S.

Now that the deadly Ebola virus has arrived in the United States, there is only one logical thing to do: Buy stocks!

Yes, shares of companies that make, or are trying to make, Ebola vaccines and treatments jumped in after-hours trading on Tuesday on news of the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the U.S.

Here's a chart, courtesy of Google Finance, showing what happened to the stock price of NewLink Genetics Corp. , an Ames, Iowa, company working on an Ebola vaccine , just after the news broke. Because it's a little hard to read, we've added giant honking red arrows to point out the 14-percent jump that took place in a matter of minutes:

Also enjoying big stock-price jumps after hours are Tekmira Pharmaceuticals , up about 20 percent; BioCryst Pharmaceuticals , up 12 percent; and Sarepta Therapeutics , up 7 percent. All are working on Ebola treatments that might get tested and approved with a little more urgency now that the disease, which has already killed more than 3,000 people in Africa , has hit U.S. shores.