What’s going on with the recent Ebola outbreak?

A rare Ebola strain is spreading through Central Africa, and health officials say the outbreak may have gone undetected for weeks before anyone realized.

• The World Health Organization says the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a lesser-known variant with no approved vaccine or treatment.
• So far, officials have reported ~600 suspected cases and nearly 140 suspected deaths, primarily in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), though the outbreak has already crossed at least one border into Uganda.

Containment efforts face an uphill climb

The outbreak is unfolding in a region plagued by armed conflict and mass displacement. Initial Ebola tests also came back negative due to the rarity of the strain, delaying confirmation as the virus spread.

The WHO on Sunday declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” its second-highest level of alert, as cases continue rising across the region.

There is some good news: Ebola doesn’t spread through the air like Covid or other major epidemics. Instead, transmission requires direct contact with bodily fluids, making large-scale outbreaks less likely.

WHO and aid groups are ramping up testing, contact tracing, and treatment efforts while researchers push to develop vaccines targeting the little-researched Bundibugyo strain.

Zoom out: Ebola isn’t the only rare virus drawing concern. The CDC is currently monitoring 41 people across the US in connection to an Andes Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship earlier this month.

So far, there are 11 confirmed cases worldwide and three fatalities, with 18 Americans currently quarantined in federal facilities out of precaution. Health officials say the risk to the general American population for both hantavirus and Ebola remains very low.