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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/14/drcs-ebola-outbreak-become-the-most-deadly-yet>
"When an orphanage in Bunia took in a newborn baby after his mother died from
Ebola, the nuns who ran it hoped they were giving the infant a chance for life.
The baby survived for only another two weeks. Now four of the nuns who cared
for him have fallen sick with the deadly virus.
It is a snapshot of the tragedies at the centre of an outbreak in which the
number of victims is roughly doubling every week, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO).
“It’s really, really devastating,” says Dr Babou Rukengeza, Save the Children’s
Ebola response lead in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). All the
children and staff at the orphanage are now being monitored for symptoms.
A month on since the latest outbreak of Ebola, caused by the Bundibugyo virus,
was first identified in the DRC, the latest figures from the UN show 676
confirmed cases and 136 deaths, the overwhelming majority in the DRC’s Ituri
province.
Frontline workers say they are still battling shortages of the necessary
supplies, including personal protective equipment and vehicles to transport
dead bodies. Testing has improved, they say, but still needs to be done faster
and carried out nearer to patients.
In neighbouring Uganda, which has reported 19 cases and two deaths, intensive
tracing of contacts means the outbreak is under control, health officials say.
Despite the global risk remaining low, 22 countries, including the US, have
imposed travel restrictions on people coming from the DRC, Uganda or South
Sudan, according to Africa CDC, the health agency of the African Union.
Those restrictions have been criticised as impeding health agencies’ response.
What the DRC really needs from the international community, experts say, is
flexible funding that it can use to get the situation under control.
There are reasons for hope: scientists are working rapidly to test and produce
vaccines against Bundibugyo, and the latest research suggests existing
antivirals are likely to be helpful."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
