Ebola, which has killed more than 80 people in a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one person in Uganda, has been ravaging Africa for 50 years.
During that time, it has claimed more than 15,000 lives and, despite the development of treatments and vaccines for some strains, remains a lethal threat.
Here are the basic facts about the deadly virus.
where does it come from
The Ebola virus (or Zairian Orthoebolavirus, to give it its full scientific name) was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as Zaire.
It comes from the filoviridae family of viruses, which are characterized by high fevers. It owes its name to the river in the north of the country, near where the first epidemic broke out.
Six different strains of Ebola have been identified so far: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston, Tai Forest and Bombali.
The Zaire species has caused the vast majority of cases since 2014.
how it spreads
The virus is transmitted by fruit bats, which are considered natural hosts of Ebola and do not develop the disease.
Other animals, such as great apes, antelopes and porcupines, can also carry the disease and transmit it to humans.
During epidemics, Ebola is transmitted through direct, close contact with infected humans. A healthy person can become infected through the body fluids (blood, vomit, or fecal matter) of a sick person.
People can also become infected during funeral rites if they come into direct contact with the body of a virus victim.
But because Ebola cannot be contracted through airborne transmission, it is less contagious than other viral diseases.
But there is a very high mortality rate among those who contract the disease: between 40 and 70% in recent epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A study published in the scientific journal Nature said the virus could remain dormant in survivors only to revive years later, triggering a new outbreak.
The symptoms
After an incubation period of between two and 21 days, the first symptoms may appear suddenly: fever, fatigue, general malaise, muscle aches, headache and sore throat.
These symptoms are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and symptoms of kidney and liver failure.
Sometimes this can be accompanied by internal and external bleeding.
Survivors frequently suffer from arthritis, vision problems, eye inflammation and hearing difficulties.
Vaccines, treatments
Only the Zaire species of the disease has vaccines: Merck’s Ervebo and Johnson & Johnson’s Sabdeno.
Since the end of 2022, three possible vaccines for the Sudanese strain of the virus have been tested, after the green light from the WHO.
Two monoclonal antibodies against the Zaire strain are also available, which significantly reduce deaths.
But in any case, rehydration and transfusion are used to treat patients who present symptoms.
The worst epidemic (2013-16)
The deadliest Ebola outbreak began in southern Guinea in December 2013 and spread throughout West Africa.
It killed more than 11,300 people out of 29,000 recorded cases, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The WHO finally declared the end of the epidemic in March 2016.
Outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a vast country spread across central Africa with more than 100 million inhabitants, has suffered more than 15 Ebola epidemics since 1976, which together have killed more than 3,000 people, according to WHO data.
The deadliest outbreak, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 infected. The most recent outbreak there, declared in August 2025, killed at least 34 people.
While the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the most experience in dealing with outbreaks of the disease, the challenge is often containing it.
Containing the current outbreak in Ituri province in the east of the country is complicated by the constant movement of people there.
There is a lot of gold mining activity in the province, which also suffers regular attacks by armed groups active in the region.
