Global public health is facing another epidemic after a rapid outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has spread to four other countries, two of which are currently experiencing active transmission.
The outbreak was first announced in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in mid-May. The disease is caused by a rare virus known as Bundibugyo, for which no vaccine or approved treatment is yet available to contain it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that this is a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, with the number of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rising to about 9,500 and approximately 4,600 deaths.
The disease has now spread to Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and most recently France, the only country outside Africa — specifically, a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By: Rithy
