{"id":2442,"date":"2026-05-20T18:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/?p=2442"},"modified":"2026-05-20T18:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:40:13","slug":"why-ebola-keeps-happening-in-dr-congo-as-death-toll-rises-and-vaccine-could-take-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/?p=2442","title":{"rendered":"Why Ebola keeps happening in DR Congo as death toll rises and vaccine &#8216;could take months&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_50964b\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">The World Health Organization now says there are nearly 600 suspected cases and 179 deaths, but a study fears the outbreak could be twice as big as is being reported due to delays in detection<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">18:40, 20 May 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 18:41, 20 May 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37184475\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Red Cross workers arrive at a health center, to transport people who died of Ebola, in Rwampara, Congo, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184475.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184475.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184475.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184475.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Red Cross workers arrive at a health centre\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Red Cross workers arrive at a health centre<cite aria-label=\"Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A vaccine for the deadly Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 179 people in Africa could take up to nine months, health experts fear. The World Health Organization declared an international crisis after a sudden surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">There have been <a aria-label=\"more than 600 casesLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/ebola-survivor-exposes-horrifying-reality-37172384\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">more than 600 cases<\/a> reported and a suspected 179 deaths, but experts fear there <a aria-label=\"was a delay in the virus being detected Link opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/news\/latest-news\/breaking-who-says-ebola-been-37181564\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">was a delay in the virus being detected <\/a>and the outbreak <a aria-label=\"could be twice as big as previously fearedLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/news\/latest-news\/ebola-outbreak-spreading-faster-first-37178636\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">could be twice as big as previously feared<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">World Health Organisation advisor Dr Vasee Moorthy said on Wednesday that two possible &#8220;candidate vaccines&#8221; against the Bundibugyo species are being developed, but neither had gone through clinical trials yet.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37184480\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37184480\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman cries behind the health centre as people who died of Ebola are being transported in coffins \" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184480.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140552886107.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184480.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140552886107.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184480.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140552886107.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184480.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140552886107.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"A woman cries behind the health centre as people who died of Ebola are being transported in coffins \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">A woman cries behind the health centre as people who died of Ebola are being transported in coffins <cite aria-label=\"Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The only vaccine currently available to prevent the spread of Ebola is only affective against Zaire, one of four species of the virus known to cause diseases in humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Dr Moorthy said one of the possible vaccines would be the equivalent of that, adding: &#8220;This needs to be prioritised as the most promising Bundibugyo candidate vaccine.&#8221; But he warned it was &#8220;likely to take six to nine months&#8221; before it was ready.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing its 17th outbreak of Ebola, but the current outbreak is of the Bundibugyo strain, which has not been seen for more than a decade. Two cases have been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, including one death.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37184485\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37184485\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Red Cross workers carry the body of a person who died of Ebola into a coffin at a health center in Rwampara, Congo, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184485.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Congo-Ebola-26140558039310.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184485.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Congo-Ebola-26140558039310.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184485.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Congo-Ebola-26140558039310.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184485.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Congo-Ebola-26140558039310.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Red Cross workers carry the body of a person who died of Ebola into a coffin\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Red Cross workers carry the body of a person who died of Ebola into a coffin<cite aria-label=\"Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ebola itself was first discovered in what is now DR Congo in 1976, and the country is now facing its 17th outbreak of the virus. It is feared the current outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on April 24.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A perfect storm of conflict, refugee movements and a fragile health system has left the country particularly vulnerable to outbreaks, experts said. The province of Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak, is highly insecure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Conflict has intensified since late 2025, and fighting has escalated significantly over the past two months, with more than 100,000 people newly displaced.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37184486\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37184486\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The country is vulnerable to outbreaks\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184486.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Congo-Ebola-26139592330304.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184486.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Congo-Ebola-26139592330304.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184486.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Congo-Ebola-26139592330304.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37184486.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Congo-Ebola-26139592330304.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The country is vulnerable to outbreaks\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The country is vulnerable to outbreaks<cite aria-label=\"Image: AP Photo\/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonn\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AP Photo\/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonn)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The temporary camps and rapid movement makes the country vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases. The country&#8217;s already fragile health system has been decimated by the pressures of conflict and tracking diseases has been difficult for medical staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Symptoms of Ebola are similar to those of other diseases such as Mpox and Malaria, making them harder to identify and control. The country is also home to massive forests, with close contact to wild <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/latest\/animals\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">animals<\/a> raising the risk of diseases jumping from animals to human.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">This risk is also heightened as bushmeat is an important source of food in many regions in the country, experts said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em>For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking<\/em> <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em><u><a aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/newsletter-preference-centre\/\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Health Organization now says there are nearly 600 suspected cases and 179 deaths,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg",1200,674,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-768x431.jpg",640,359,true],"large":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-1024x575.jpg",640,359,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg",1200,674,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072.jpg",1200,674,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-1115x674.jpg",1115,674,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-1024x575.jpg",1024,575,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/betreview.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Congo-Ebola-26140557084072-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/betreview.net\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betreview.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}