The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a “public health emergency of international concern”, with cases now confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. Here is what you need to know.

Ebola is a serious potentially fatal infectious disease. It causes fever, damage to blood vessels, and in severe cases, bleeding, organ failure and death. It was first identified in 1976 in central Africa and most outbreaks have occurred there since.

What is Bundibugyo virus, and how is it different from “regular” Ebola

Ebola is actually a group of related viruses. The most well-known and deadly is the Zaire strain, which has caused the largest outbreaks. Bundibugyo is a different strain, first identified in Uganda in 2007.

The Bundibugyo virus tends to kill around 30-50% of those infected – serious, but slightly lower than some Zaire outbreaks.

To put that in context, seasonal flu kills fewer than one in 1,000 people. COVID killed around one to two in 100 people early in the pandemic. Ebola is therefore far more deadly than most diseases most people have encountered. Outcomes depend on factors like how quickly someone receives care, the strength of the local health system and whether the patient has other underlying conditions.

Existing Ebola vaccines were........

© The Conversation