DRC Ebola Outbreak Hits 246 Suspected Cases as Uganda Reports 1 Death in Kampala
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 21
DRC Ebola Outbreak Hits 246 Suspected Cases as Uganda Reports 1 Death in Kampala
5 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 21
246 suspected Ebola cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, pushing the outbreak to the third-largest on record less than a week after it was declared.
1 Ebola death was also reported in Kampala, Uganda's largest city, signaling the outbreak may already have spread hundreds of miles beyond the initial area.
The current outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no effective vaccines or treatments, unlike the more common Zaire strain.
Systems built after the 2014 West Africa epidemic—which killed more than 11,000 people—have been weakened over the past year as surveillance, rapid-response and diplomatic health infrastructure was dismantled.
With global health defenses weakened, is the world facing an unstoppable Ebola strain?
Did a major shift in global health policy leave the world vulnerable to this new Ebola crisis?
As a rare Ebola virus spreads, can a cure be found before it is too late?