Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
What are the causes of the ongoing Ebola outbreak?
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY with Rox Middleton, Liam Shaw and Joel Hellewell
‘Bad news wrapped in protein’ — microscopic particles of the Ebola virus, which is spreading in the DRC [Thomas W Geisbert / Creative Commons]

YOU have probably heard of Ebola because of the shocking outbreak that started along the west coast of Africa in 2013: the biggest Ebola outbreak ever. 

Over the course of three years, 28,000 people were infected, resulting in over 10,000 deaths, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
 
There have since been three more outbreaks, all in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two of these outbreaks were snuffed out quickly before they even reached 100 infections, due to a rapid response by the Congolese government and international health authorities. 

But the third outbreak, which started last August and is still ongoing, has been described by the WHO’s deputy director-general for emergency preparedness and response as a “perfect storm.”
 
This latest outbreak has been bubbling away under the surface in the Kivu region along the eastern Congolese border with Uganda and Rwanda. So far, there have around 840 Ebola cases and 530 deaths (these numbers are always a “best guess” while the chaos of the outbreak unfolds). 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A coffin containing the remains of Jeannine Katusabe, who died of Ebola, is lowered into a grave in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, August 11, 2026
Central Africa / 1 September 2026
1 September 2026
People dressed in protective gear lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 6-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, August 18, 2026
Healthcare / 28 August 2026
28 August 2026

As thousands die in the eastern DRC, a global health emergency is being starved of funds, says S KRISHNASWAMY

A health worker sprays disinfectant in a freshly dug grave for the body of Jacques Lobo Dhena, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, August 12, 2026
DR Congo / 13 August 2026
13 August 2026
Health workers in protective gear wave inside an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, August 10, 2026
Central Africa / 11 August 2026
11 August 2026