{"id":2730,"date":"2026-08-19T15:08:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2730"},"modified":"2026-08-19T15:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:08:54","slug":"what-to-know-about-the-outbreak-of-a-rare-kind-of-ebola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2730","title":{"rendered":"What to know about the outbreak of a rare kind of Ebola"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) \u2014 An Ebola outbreak in Congo has surpassed 5,000 confirmed cases<\/span>, making it one of the largest outbreaks of the deadly disease<\/span> ever recorded.<\/p>\n

Read more Israeli military launches criminal probes into killings of Hind Rajab and Palestinian paramedics<\/a><\/p>\n

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved vaccine or treatment. Congo\u2019s Ministry of Health had recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths, as of Sunday.<\/p>\n

The outbreak is already the worst ever caused by the Bundibugyo virus and the deadliest Ebola outbreak in Congo\u2019s history<\/span>. The World Health Organization has warned that it could eventually surpass the devastating 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about Ebola and the outbreak:<\/p>\n

How Ebola spreads <\/h2>\n

Ebola is a rare but often deadly disease caused by a group of viruses that are believed to originate in animals.<\/p>\n

People can become infected through contact with infected animals, and the virus can then spread between people through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of someone who is sick with or has died from Ebola. It can also spread through objects contaminated with those fluids.<\/p>\n

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Unlike respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola isn\u2019t generally spread through the air.<\/p>\n

People infected with Ebola don\u2019t spread the virus before developing symptoms, according to WHO. Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after infection.<\/p>\n

They often begin with fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and sore throat, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. Some patients develop internal or external bleeding.<\/p>\n

Ebola can be difficult to distinguish from other infectious diseases without laboratory testing, because many of its early symptoms are similar to those of illnesses such as malaria and typhoid.<\/p>\n

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Outbreak linked to rare virus<\/h2>\n

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of several viruses that can cause Ebola disease.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much rarer than the Zaire virus, which has caused many of Congo\u2019s previous Ebola outbreaks and the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa.<\/p>\n

Bundibugyo virus was first identified during an outbreak in western Uganda in 2007. That outbreak killed 37 people. The only other known outbreak occurred in Congo in 2012.<\/p>\n

Both were far smaller than the current epidemic.<\/p>\n

The vaccines and antibody treatments developed for the more common Ebola virus aren\u2019t approved for the Bundibugyo virus. Clinical trials are underway<\/span>, but patients currently rely largely on supportive care, such as fluids and treatment of symptoms and complications.<\/p>\n

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Where the outbreak started<\/h2>\n

The first detected patient developed symptoms in late April and died in Bunia, the capital of Congo\u2019s northeastern Ituri province, an area plagued by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Health officials were alerted in early May to a cluster of unexplained illnesses around Mongbwalu, a busy gold-mining area near Bunia. Laboratory tests later identified Bundibugyo virus, and Congo declared the outbreak on May 15.<\/p>\n

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