Ebola Virus Disease

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s deadliest ever Ebola outbreak has shown signs of slowing in recent weeks, but militia attacks, anti-UN protests, and chronic community distrust are undermining the 16-month effort to end the epidemic. Simultaneous attacks on two Ebola health centres in the towns of Biakato and Mangina last month left four response workers dead, underlining the challenges responders still face building acceptance among communities in Congo’s restive eastern provinces. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced last week that it was withdrawing staff from Biakato following fresh attacks by a group reportedly armed with sticks and machetes. The medical charity was managing an Ebola Treatment Centre in the town. Relief efforts have also been suspended amid attacks blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia and escalating protests by residents who say UN peacekeepers and government forces stationed in the region are failing to protect them. Aid groups say k...

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s deadliest ever Ebola outbreak has shown signs of slowing in recent weeks, but militia attacks, anti-UN protests, and chronic community distrust are undermining the 16-month effort to end the epidemic. Simultaneous attacks on two Ebola health centres in the towns of Biakato and Mangina last month left four response workers dead, underlining the challenges responders still face building acceptance among communities in Congo’s restive eastern provinces. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced last week that it was withdrawing staff from Biakato following fresh attacks by a group reportedly armed with sticks and machetes. The medical charity was managing an Ebola Treatment Centre in the town. Relief efforts have also been suspended amid attacks blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia and escalating protests by residents who say UN peacekeepers and government forces stationed in the region are failing to protect them. Aid groups say k...

A team working in Liberia found evidence of the virus and antibodies against it in the Greater Long-fingered bat’s blood and genetic material. This could lead to a major breakthrough in understanding where Ebola in humans comes from – something that has puzzled medics for years. The latest epidemic in the disease’s 40-year history has killed 422 people in the Congo and infected hundreds more. But despite repeated outbreaks, scientists are no closer to understanding which animals carry it and how it spreads to people. Bats have long been suspected as natural hosts for the virus, as it can grow and thrive inside the animals without harming them. Jon Epstein, a veterinary epidemiologist at EcoHealth Alliance and a member of the research team, said of the finding: “It is really our first evidence of any bat carrying Ebola Zaire virus in the region. “It allows us to take a deeper look and try to understand where this virus came from.” Liberia has not actually reported any new ...