The deadly Ebola outbreak is proving difficult to control | MIT Technology Review

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By Jessica Hamzelouarchive pageMay 29, 2026Michel Lunanga/Getty ImagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY The alert was raised on May 5. Four health-care workers in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had died from an unknown illness within four days. Rapid response teams were sent to investigate, and tests at a research center in Kinshasa revealed the culprit: the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola. Suspected cases of the disease have snowballed in the last few weeks. By May 24, the WHO had estimated that 223 people had died from the disease. There were over 900 suspected cases. Today’s figures are likely to be higher. A couple of weeks ago, I covered the hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship. Three people sadly died, but the outbreak itself was kept under control. There have been no further deaths, and passengers have been safely repatriated. The picture for Ebola is far bleaker. And there are several reasons why. Related StoryThis is what might happen if the US withdraws from the WHORead next The most obvious is the disease itself. Ebola is a severe disease with an average 50% fatality rate. Previous outbreaks have resulted in thousands of deaths. (Hantavirus also has a high fatality rate, but it doesn’t usually spread as easily between humans.) 
Between 2014 and 2016, an Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused more than 11,000 deaths. A more recent outbreak, which took place between 2018 and 2020, caused 2,299 deaths before being brought under control with a vaccination campaign. But those outbreaks were caused by the Zaire virus, which has a different genetic sequence. There is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus. We don’t know if the two vaccines approved for Zaire might also work for Bundibugyo. There’s a concern they might even make things worse by interfering with a person’s immune response to the virus.  
Scientists are working on potential Bundibugyo vaccines. But the most advanced efforts are still months away from clinical trials. There are no specific antiviral treatments for the virus, either. So to control the outbreak, health-care workers are trying to stop the spread of the disease. Ebolaviruses can be transmitted to humans by animals including fruit bats, chimpanzees, and gorillas. They can then spread between people via contact with bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. That’s why the virus is often spread among family members, to health-care workers, and during some burial services. The WHO advises isolating people who have the virus in treatment centers. It also recommends safe burial measures that limit physical contact with the deceased, for example. Communities need to be informed about the virus and how it spreads, and health professionals should be on hand to diagnose cases and track them. That’s all easier said than done in an era of misinformation. Some members of the community even doubt whether the disease is real. There have been three attacks on health-care facilities in the region in recent weeks. Related StoryHIV could infect 1,400 infants every day because of US aid disruptionsRead next Last week, two treatment centers were burned down. The first incident occurred after relatives of a deceased man were prohibited from retrieving his (infectious) body. As a result of the second incident, 18 suspected cases reentered the community. A couple of days later, a group of men unleashed gunfire at Mongbwalu General Hospital, which was also treating people with Ebola. They were demanding the bodies of their deceased relatives. There are more causes for concern when it comes to the spread of the virus. The Ebola outbreak is thought to have originated in Mongbwalu, a high-traffic mining hub. People who caught the virus in Mongbwalu are thought to have sought care in neighboring districts. And the wider province borders both South Sudan and Uganda. So far, Uganda has reported seven confirmed cases and one death. South Sudan’s health ministry has said it will strengthen surveillance, but no cases have been reported in the country so far.  Violence in the region is making it much harder to contain the spread of the virus, too. Conflict involving multiple armed groups, including deadly attacks on civilians, has hampered humanitarian and health-care efforts. Poor infrastructure and damaged roads make matters even worse. Food insecurity is ravaging the region as well—this year, nearly 10 million people in the region face acute hunger.

Together, these factors are making it “nearly impossible” to isolate people with Ebola and trace others who have been in contact with them, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement earlier this week. The dismantling of US aid programs hasn’t helped either. US government funding for international health projects has steeply declined since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. These cuts have harmed disease surveillance systems, according to the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian nonprofit. Related StoryThe world is on track to miss its health targetsRead next“Funding cuts have left the region dangerously exposed,” Heather Reoch Kerr, the organization’s country director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said in a statement. “Years of underinvestment and recent funding cuts have left many health facilities without adequate protective equipment, surveillance capacity, or frontline support needed to respond quickly and safely.” The US has mobilized emergency funding for the outbreak, and a spokesperson for the State Department has argued that none of the administration’s actions have hampered the Ebola response. But health experts counter that the damage has already been done. On May 17, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. In a statement on Wednesday, Tedros described the situation as “a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.”In an online appeal to residents on Wednesday, ahead of an in-person visit, Tedros pleaded for a ceasefire and commended the spirit of community members. He also acknowledged the steep challenges they face. “You are already carrying so much: malaria, hunger, insecurity, and the daily struggle to keep your families safe,” he wrote in French. “And now Ebola. It’s not fair, and I won’t pretend otherwise.” This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. by Jessica HamzelouShareShare story on linkedinShare story on facebookShare story on emailPopularWant to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts.Michelle Kim10 Things That Matter in AI Right NowAmy NordrumInside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clonesAntonio RegaladoMusk v. Altman week 1: Elon Musk says he was duped, warns AI could kill us all, and admits that xAI distills OpenAI’s modelsMichelle KimDeep DiveBiotechnology and healthInside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones

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The control of the deadly Ebola outbreak has been severely complicated by violence, the spread of misinformation, and reductions in international aid. The outbreak itself presents a significant biological threat, as Ebola is a severe disease with an average fatality rate of fifty percent, and previous outbreaks have resulted in thousands of fatalities. While a recent outbreak caused by the Zaire virus was brought under control through vaccination, the current situation involves the Bundibugyo virus, for which no specific vaccine exists, and there are concerns that existing vaccines intended for Zaire might not be effective or could interfere with the immune response to Bundibugyo.

The transmission of Ebola viruses to humans occurs through contact with bodily fluids like blood or vomit from animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, and gorillas. This spread often occurs among family members, healthcare workers, and during burial services. Consequently, the World Health Organization advises isolating infected individuals in treatment centers and mandates safe burial practices to limit physical contact with the deceased. Effective containment relies on community education regarding the virus and its transmission, coupled with a proactive health professional presence for diagnosis and tracking, which is often undermined by widespread misinformation and community skepticism.

The spread of the disease has been exacerbated by significant regional instability. The outbreak is thought to have originated in Mongbwalu, a mining hub, and has spread across borders into neighboring regions of South Sudan and Uganda. Violence involving multiple armed groups and attacks on civilian areas have severely hampered humanitarian and healthcare efforts. Furthermore, poor infrastructure and damaged roads compound the difficulties in disease control. This conflict, along with widespread food insecurity, where nearly ten million people in the region face acute hunger, makes isolating infected populations and tracing contacts nearly impossible, as stated by WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Systemic factors, particularly funding issues, have further exposed the region to risk. The dismantling of US aid programs has negatively impacted disease surveillance systems. Although the US government has provided emergency funding, health experts contend that the damage to surveillance systems has already occurred. Heather Reoch Kerr, country director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stated that years of underinvestment and recent funding cuts have left many health facilities without adequate protective equipment, surveillance capacity, or frontline support necessary for a swift response. This situation was underscored by the WHO’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, which Tedros described as a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict outpacing the response.