DRC suffering worst Ebola outbreak in history
Fight against the deadly disease complicated by ongoing conflict and vaccine fears

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the most severe in the country’s history, according to the government.
Roughly 200 people have died and more than 300 have been infected by the highly contagious virus, the health ministry announced on Friday.
This is the 10th Ebola outbreak the war-ravaged country has suffered in the past four decades.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“No other epidemic in the world has been as complex as the one we are currently experiencing,” said Health Minister Oly Ilunga.
He added: “In view of these figures, my thoughts and my prayers go to the hundreds of families grieving, to the hundreds of orphans and the families which have been wiped out.”
Efforts to contain the outbreak, which is centred in the conflict-hit North Kivu region, have been hampered by militia attacks on medical teams.
North Kivu is “awash with violence and insecurity, particularly in the mineral-rich borderlands where militia activity has surged in the past year, all of which complicates the response to the outbreak,” ABC News reports.
There is no known cure for Ebola, which kills between 25% and 90% of its victims.
A vaccination programme has so far inoculated about 25,000 people in the DRC, but health professionals warn that suspicion of the new vaccine is widespread.
“Lots of people reject the vaccine and they talk a lot about it,” Dr Maneno Muhindangabo Henry told Sky News. “They say if you take it you will become infertile, it will kill you, it has bad effects.”
The head of World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said health workers have never had to deal with such a complicated epidemic.
“The situation with this outbreak is very different from other outbreaks,” he said. “Even the West Africa outbreak because there is a serious security problem here, an active army conflict and that complicates the situation.”
The UN agency has previously admitted that it was “too slow” to respond to the 2014-16 West African Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people across six countries.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What to know before lending money to family or friends
the explainer Ensure both your relationship and your finances remain intact
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
The tobacco industry could be the beneficiary of health agency cuts
The explainer Anti-tobacco initiatives could be up in smoke
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK