Overview
- WHO said the outbreak is the fastest‑growing on record and government tallies show infections have climbed above 4,000 with roughly 1,800 deaths, making this the second‑largest Ebola epidemic in history.
- Dozens of health workers in Bunia, the epicentre in Ituri, staged protests Thursday over unpaid wages and bonuses, leaving some treatment centres unattended and disrupting care for Ebola patients.
- Early testing failed to detect the Bundibugyo strain because widely used GeneXpert cartridges were designed for the Zaire strain, producing multi‑week confirmation delays despite recent rollouts of mobile PCR labs and rapid tests.
- UNHCR has confirmed Ebola cases in at least five internally displaced persons camps and authorities quarantined a river boat after a suspected Ebola death while testing nearly 200 passengers, raising fears of spread toward Kinshasa.
- Contact tracing is failing with an estimated 60–70 percent of new cases arising outside monitored lists, most deaths occur in the community from late presentation, and international aid including an extra $242 million from the U.S. is being mobilised to try to close operational gaps.