Ebola, which killed more than 80 people in a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one person in Uganda, has been wreaking havoc in Africa for 50 years now.
During this period, it has caused more than 15,000 deaths and, despite the development of treatments and vaccines against certain strains, it remains a deadly threat.
Here are the basic facts about the deadly virus.
Where does it come from
The Ebola virus – or Orthoebolavirus zairense, to give it its full scientific name – was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as Zaire.
It belongs to the filoviridae virus family, characterized by high fevers. It owes its name to the river located in the north of the country, near where the first epidemic broke out.
So far, six distinct strains of Ebola have been identified: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston, Tai Forest and Bombali.
The Zaire species is the cause of the vast majority of cases since 2014.
How it spreads
The virus is spread by fruit bats, which are considered Ebola’s natural hosts and do not develop the disease themselves.
Other animals, such as great apes, antelopes and porcupines, can also carry the disease and transmit it to humans.
During outbreaks, Ebola is spread through direct, close contact with infected humans. A healthy person can become infected through bodily fluids – blood, vomit or feces – from 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 catch the disease: between 40 and 70% during recent epidemics in DR Congo, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A study published in the scientific journal Nature said the virus could lie dormant in survivors only to re-emerge years later, triggering a new epidemic.
Symptoms
After an incubation period of between two and 21 days, the first symptoms may appear suddenly: fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and throat pain.
These symptoms are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and symptoms of kidney and liver failure.
This can sometimes be accompanied by internal and external bleeding.
Survivors frequently suffer from arthritis, vision problems, eye inflammation and hearing difficulties.
Vaccines, treatments
Only the Zairian species of the disease have vaccines: Ervebo from Merck and Sabdeno from Johnson & Johnson.
Three possible vaccines have been tested against the Sudanese strain of the virus since the end of 2022, following the green light from the WHO.
Two monoclonal antibodies, which significantly reduce deaths, are also available against the Zaire strain.
But in all cases, rehydration and transfusion are used to treat patients with symptoms.
The worst epidemic (2013-16)
The deadliest Ebola outbreak began in southern Guinea in December 2013 and spread across West Africa.
It has killed more than 11,300 people out of 29,000 recorded cases, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The WHO finally declared the epidemic over in March 2016.
Epidemics in DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a vast central African country with more than 100 million inhabitants, has experienced more than 15 Ebola epidemics since 1976, which alone have caused more than 3,000 deaths, according to WHO data.
The deadliest epidemic, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 infected. The most recent outbreak, declared in August 2025, killed at least 34 people.
Even though the DRC has the most experience dealing with outbreaks of the disease, the challenge is often to contain it.
Containing the current epidemic in the eastern province of Ituri is complicated by constant population movements.
Gold mining activity is significant in the province, which also suffers regular attacks from armed groups active in the region.
