An Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain has spread across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and into neighboring Uganda. Confirmed cases in the country have increased to 837, including 196 deaths. This is the third largest Ebola epidemic on record and the largest ever caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
One month after Congolese authorities officially declared the outbreak, the health response is failing to contain the virus. Treatment centers in eastern Congo are becoming overwhelmed as health workers struggle to track transmission chains. The Red Cross has noted that it is very difficult to know the full extent to which the epidemic is spreading.
Speaking from the outbreak's epicenter in Bunia, a top Red Cross official warned that the peak of the crisis is still ahead and could last for one year if infection rates do not flatten. Experts continue to race to contain the outbreak in Central Africa, though no approved vaccines or treatments currently exist for this strain of the virus.