Joselito Malig

An agent of the National Institute of Public Hygiene (INHP) wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) suit against the Ebola virus disinfects the premises of the CHU of Cocody following the passage of a first Ebola patient, in Cocody on August 16, 2021. Ivory Coast began a roll-out of vaccinations against Ebola on August 16, 2021, after the country recorded its first known case of the disease since 1994, the health ministry said. "Health workers, close relatives and contacts of the victim" were the first to be vaccinated, getting jabs from 5,000 doses sent from Guinea, spokesman Germain Mahan Sehi said. (Photo by Sia KAMBOU / AFP)

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Agence France-Presse

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1779100306995IcoastHealthVirusEbola (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="An agent of the National Institute of Public Hygiene (INHP) wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) suit against the Ebola virus disinfects the premises of the CHU of Cocody following the passage of a first Ebola patient, in Cocody on August 16, 2021. Photo by Sia KAMBOU, AFP/file"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">An agent of the National Institute of Public Hygiene (INHP) wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) suit against the Ebola virus disinfects the premises of the CHU of Cocody following the passage of a first Ebola patient, in Cocody on August 16, 2021.<em> Photo by Sia KAMBOU, AFP/file</em></span></span></span></div><p>Ebola, which has killed more than 80 people in a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one person in Uganda, has been wreaking havoc in Africa for 50 years now.</p><p>During that time it has claimed more than 15,000 lives, and despite the development of treatments and vaccines for some strains, it remains a lethal threat.</p><p>Here are the basic facts about the deadly virus.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Where it comes from</strong></div><p>The Ebola virus -- or Orthoebolavirus zairense, to give it its full scientific name -- was first identified in 1976 in DR Congo, then known as Zaire.</p><p>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.</p><p>So far, six distinct strains of Ebola have been identified: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston, Tai Forest and Bombali.</p><p>The Zaire species has caused the vast majority of cases since 2014.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>How it spreads</strong></div><p>The virus is spread by fruit bats, which are considered Ebola&#x27;s natural hosts and do not themselves develop the illness.</p><p>Other animals, such as the great apes, antelopes and porcupine can also carry the disease and pass it on to humans.</p><p>During epidemics, Ebola is passed on by direct, close contact with infected humans. A healthy person can be infected by the body fluids -- blood, vomit or faecal matter -- of a sick person.</p><p>People can also be infected during funeral rites if people come into direct contact with the body of a victim of the virus.</p><p>But because Ebola cannot be caught by airborne transmission, it is less contagious than other viral illnesses.</p><p>But there is a very high mortality rate among those who catch the disease: between 40 and 70 percent in recent epidemics in the DR Congo, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).</p><p>A study published in the science journal Nature said the virus could remain dormant in survivors only to revive years later, setting off a fresh outbreak.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong> The symptoms</strong></div><p>After an incubation period of between two and 21 days, the first symptoms can appear suddenly: a fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.</p><p>Those symptoms are followed by  by vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain rash, and symptoms of impaired kidney and liver functions.</p><p>That can sometimes be accompanied by internal and external bleeding.</p><p>Survivors frequently suffer from arthritis, vision problems, eye inflammations and hearing difficulties.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Vaccines, treatments</strong></div><p>Only the Zaire species of the disease has vaccines: Ervebo from Mercke and Sabdeno from Johnson &amp; Johnson.</p><p>Three possible vaccines have been tested for the Sudan strain of the virus since late 2022, following a green light from the WHO.</p><p>Two monoclonal antibodies, which significantly reduce deaths, are also available against the Zaire strain.</p><p>But in any case, rehydration and transfusion are used to treat patients showing symptoms.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>The worst epidemic (2013-2016)</strong></div><p>The deadliest Ebola outbreak started in southern Guinea in December 2013, spreading across West Africa.</p><p>It killed more than 11,300 people out of 29,000 recorded cases, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.</p><p>The WHO finally declared the epidemic over in March 2016.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong> Outbreaks in DR Congo </strong></div><p>The Democratic Republic of Congo, a vast country spread across central Africa with more than 100 million people, has suffered more than 15 Ebola epidemics since 1976, which between them have killed more than 3,000 people, according to WHO data.</p><p>The deadliest outbreak, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people from 3,500 infected. The most recent outbreak there, declared in August 2025, killed at least 34 people.</p><p>While DR Congo has the most experience facing outbreaks of the disease, the challenge is often containing it.</p><p>Containing the current outbreak in Ituri province in the east of the country is complicated by the constant movement of people there.</p><p>There is a lot of gold mining activity in the province, which also suffers regular attacks by the armed groups active in the region.</p>

<p>A study published in the science journal Nature said the virus could remain dormant in survivors only to revive years later, setting off a fresh outbreak.</p>

A study published in the science journal Nature said the virus could remain dormant in survivors only to revive years later, setting off a fresh outbreak.

Ebola: Portrait of a killer virus

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Ebola: Portrait of a killer virus

Agence France-Presse

Published May 18, 2026 06:36 PM PHT

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