20 Years After Its Own Outbreak, an Ugandan Town Beats Back Ebola

The Bundibugyo Ebola virus takes its name from this small town, where it was first discovered in 2007. Now, the species has returned to eastern Congo, halting life on a busy border.

Some viruses appear to vanish when outbreaks dissipate, only to emerge again. Scientists don’t always know which animals they lurk in — and how to stop them from spilling back over.

International agencies and foreign donors have long driven campaigns to defeat diseases like Ebola. Dr. Jean Kaseya, the head of the Africa C.D.C., wants to change that.

A coffin maker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen a significant increase in the number of coffins needed in Bunia since the latest Ebola outbreak began in May.

When a truck driver unexpectedly collapsed and died in a remote village, frontline medical staff scrambled to safely isolate his body, triggering a standoff.

While several coffin makers in Bunia said they were providing a public service, the virus has put them at the center of a debate around safe burials.

Ebola virus, hantavirus and the pathogen that causes Covid-19 likely jumped from animals to humans. So do these viruses — and scientists say climate change is speeding their spread.

The distance between life and death is razor thin at one medical clinic in Rwampara, the heart of the epidemic ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The amount is still far below what the U.S. spent previously on humanitarian and health aid, but resumes the flow of money for key efforts to fight malnutrition and disease.

The disease has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in just over two months, outpacing the response.

The disease has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in just over two months, causing deaths faster than officials have ever recorded.

There are a million people displaced by violence in the epicenter. They live in dangerous conditions and are fighting the virus with very little clean water.

Societies have always struggled with hostile reactions to health care workers during epidemics. Why?

Some people have fought Ebola containment measures in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Scholars have seen similar responses across societies and throughout history.

The aid workers were on the frontline in the fight against the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and have shown no symptoms, their employer said.

The American works for a humanitarian organization in Congo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

A violent militia that controls large swaths of Congolese territory in the east may use the virus to try to bolster its authority.

Safe interment is critical to containing the deadly disease, but in recent days around one Congolese town, that was not always being done.

As the continent swelters, some right-wing populists are talking up their support for air-conditioning.

Frontline Congolese workers who conduct safe burials are key to containing what experts fear could become the worst ever Ebola outbreak. They risk not just infection, but the anger of terrified communities.

Our chief Africa correspondent, Declan Walsh, reports from a city where Red Cross workers carrying out burials in the Ebola outbreak have come under attack.

Most of the people testing positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not on health workers’ radar, suggesting that contact tracing is lagging dangerously behind.

Global warming is causing extreme heat around the world. Now El Niño, a natural phenomenon that disrupts global weather patterns, is also at work.

The first case of Ebola was confirmed in France after a doctor, who returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo, tested positive.

A doctor who had traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo was infected, the French health ministry said. The authorities said the risk to the wider population was low.

Scientists believe that the Bundibugyo virus persists in an animal species, occasionally spilling over into humans. But they have yet to identify the species.

The patient had traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said. Workers are racing to trace those who may have had contact.

Early signs indicate that the species of Ebola behind the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have milder symptoms than past outbreaks. Our global health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli explains why this might actually make it more dangerous.

That is good news for patients, but officials fear it will make controlling the spread of the disease harder.

Contact tracing is improving. Treatments may be months away. Here’s what could determine whether a fast-expanding outbreak can be slowed down.