The WHO has just declared an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after one person tested positive for the virus.
New Ebola outbreak declared in Democratic Republic of Congo
Three people are confirmed dead of hemorrhagic fever, nine are suspected of having contracted the virus, and six have been hospitalized. The person who tested positive had the Zaire strain of the virus, generally regarded as the most lethal strain.
DR Congo has extensive experience in dealing with Ebola epidemics; unlike the 2014-2015 outbreak in West Africa, which infected 28,600 people and killed 11,300, this one is likely to be smaller-scale and more easily contained. Nonetheless, any epidemic of Ebola is considered an international public health crisis.
The WHO has dispatched a response team to the area to investigate, monitor, and contain the outbreak. An experimental vaccine for the Ebola virus has been developed, but the WHO has not yet decided whether to deploy it.