Ebola 

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Latest news on Ebola, providing comprehensive coverage of the Ebola virus, Ebola outbreak updates, Bundibugyo, Zaire and Sudan strains, Ebola cases and deaths, symptoms, vaccines, treatment, quarantine, WHO and Africa CDC guidance, DR Congo, Uganda, and travel advice.

Ebola, also called Ebola virus disease, is a severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever caused by viruses of the Ebolavirus genus. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected people or animals, and through contaminated surfaces. Several species affect humans, including Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo, and each outbreak differs in scale and severity.

The latest developments often centre on case numbers, how far an outbreak is spreading, and the response led by the World Health Organization, Africa CDC, national health ministries and agencies such as Médecins Sans Frontières. Vaccine trials, treatments, contact tracing, border screening and travel restrictions regularly make headlines. Licensed vaccines and antibody treatments exist for the Zaire species, while work continues on candidates for others, including Bundibugyo.

Behind the statistics are health workers, burial teams, survivors and families. Fear, stigma, misinformation and mistrust can hinder the response, so community engagement is as important as medicine. Conflict, poor roads and weak health systems in affected regions add to the challenge, and funding for outbreak response is a recurring concern.

The disease takes its name from the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near where it was first identified in 1976. The West African epidemic of 2014 to 2016 caused more than 11,000 deaths and reshaped global preparedness, bringing ring vaccination, rapid response teams and new debates about how the world responds to health emergencies. Later outbreaks in the DR Congo and Uganda have built on those lessons.

Staying informed matters for travellers, health professionals, aid organisations and anyone following global health security. Our NewsNow Ebola feed gathers the latest headlines on outbreaks, vaccines, treatment, symptoms, WHO updates and travel advice from reliable sources, so you can follow every development in one place.