What you need to know about the latest Ebola outbreak

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]There's something different about the Ebola outbreak here in the Congo and Uganda. It's the third largest outbreak to date and it was only declared a week ago.

[00:00:06]>> I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.

[00:00:10]>> The World Health Organization is calling it a public health emergency of international concern, but not a pandemic emergency.

[00:00:16]>> This is the first time a director general has declared a FIC before convening an emergency committee.

[00:00:22]>> The WHO says it all started on May 5th when they were alerted of a high mortality outbreak in the Aturi province of the Congo. On May 14th, blood samples were analyzed at a lab confirming a rare strain of Ebola called bundio. And the next day, both countries declared outbreaks. But what's alarming experts is how long it took to figure out what was going on.

[00:00:38]>> My biggest concern about this outbreak right now, how widespread it was before it was recognized. And that means it's going to be even more difficult to identify and interrupt all the chains of transmission.

[00:00:51]>> The early symptoms of Ebola virus can be mistaken for other illnesses that are common to the region. Because this particular strain is rare, it makes it harder to test for, and there's no approved vaccine or treatment for it.

[00:01:00]The WHO says its fatality rates can also range from 30 to 50% based on previous outbreaks. This doctor contracted a different strain of Ebola while working in Liberia during a 2014 outbreak.

[00:01:09]>> I was working in the Ebola treatment unit. I thought that I probably had malaria because the symptoms of any febrile illness, any infection, they're so similar early on.

[00:01:20]>> But there's another factor that makes this whole thing a little bit more complex. armed conflict in the northeastern part of the Congo where the virus is spreading.

[00:01:27]>> The province of Iti is highly insecure.

[00:01:30]Conflict has intensified since late 2025 with over 100,000 people newly displaced.

[00:01:39]>> Security concerns make it difficult to provide the necessary care for the people in the area and healthcare workers are among those fleeing from the violence. 's facilities cannot work optimally when there is conflict and when the health workers are also fleeing.

[00:01:53]>> But should you be afraid of getting it?

[00:01:55]This doctor says no.

[00:01:56]>> Ebola is spread by direct contact with a sick individual. It is not airborne. It is not like CO. People living on the other side of the world, they don't have anything to be afraid of. But what we should be concerned about is the well-being of our neighbors in East Africa and the ways that people can