Uganda is battling Ebola again – and the world doesn’t have a vaccine

Covid has led to pandemic fatigue, but for both humanitarian and self-interested reasons, global governments must help.

 Uganda Races to Contain a Deadly Ebola Outbreak

The outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of the virus, which has no approved vaccine or drug treatment. Scientists are now rushing to begin clinical trials in the coming weeks.

Ebola Outbreak in Uganda Surges, but the Country Has a Plan

This current outbreak is happening just at the end of the peak of the COVID pandemic, which we think we managed successfully. We are quickly repurposing some of the infrastructure we used for COVID for Ebola.

Ebola outbreak in Uganda: the health system has never been better prepared

Uganda borders on regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo that have suffered numerous outbreaks of Ebola. The last of these was reported in August 2022. Uganda itself has experienced several past outbreaks. For these reasons the country has developed a functional surveillance system to flag and confirm suspicious cases early.

Ebola hasn’t been cured yet, but two experimental drugs are showing significant progress

“It’s premature to say that this is a curative treatment. We should be optimistic, but not overstate.”

Ebola Outbreaks Sparked by Survivors Show Virus’s Long Reach

Treatment advances helped many more survive the disease, but may have seeded fresh flare-ups

‘Against all odds’: The inside story of how scientists across three continents produced an Ebola vaccine

It is a feat that built on the work of scientists in multiple countries on three continents who toiled in obscurity for years. And it ensured that when future outbreaks strike, health workers have a crucial new tool at their disposal.

After Ebola

Ebola won’t kill us all, but something else might. Like everything living on Earth, viruses must evolve to survive. That is why avian influenza has provoked so much anxiety; it has not yet mutated into an infection that can spread easily. Maybe it never will, but it could happen tomorrow.

America’s Ebola Panic

Because this epidemic was unprecedented, appearing in three countries simultaneously and in highly populated urban areas, predictions of just how bad the outbreak could get ranged widely.

Are We Now Ready for Ebola?

A new outbreak shows that despite the hard lessons of 2014, more needs to be done

Are We Unprepared For Another Ebola Outbreak?

Although not much is being said about Ebola these days, one shouldn’t come away with the view that we are totally unprepared for another outbreak. While R&D takes time, we hopefully will soon have vaccines and drugs to aid in another Ebola outbreak

Do They Know it’s Christmas? 30 Years Later

Something needs to be done about Ebola, and it is Christmas. So, spend a dollar, download a song, and save a life.

Dr. Frederick A. Murphy Talks about the Ebola Virus

The book "The Hot Zone" and more recently the film "Outbreak" have brought public attention to the reality of emerging viruses and potentially disastrous epidemics. It can be difficult to tell fact from fiction with these kind of sources.

Ebola - Here, There and Everywhere

I wouldn’t be worried to sit next to someone with the Ebola virus on the Tube, as long as they don’t vomit on you or something - Peter Piot, co-discoverer of Ebola 1976

Ebola and Zika epidemics are driven by pathologies of society, not just a virus

The global health threats posed by recent viral epidemics, such as avian flu, H1N1, Ebola and Zika, have been happening too frequently to be dismissed as coincidental. Unless the global public health community invests in and develops better health systems that provide for the poor, such viruses will continue to spread and have severe effects.

Ebola Evolved Into Deadlier Enemy During the African Epidemic

The Ebola epidemic that tore through West Africa in 2014 claimed 11,310 lives, far more than any previous outbreak. A combination of factors contributed to its savagery, among them a mobile population, crumbling public health systems, official neglect and hazardous burial practices. But new research suggests another impetus: The virus may have evolved a new weapon against its human hosts. In studies published on Thursday in the journal Cell, two teams of scientists report that a genetic mutation may have made Ebola more deadly by improving the virus’s ability to enter human cells.

Ebola in Uganda: Why Can't We Cure It? Where Does It Hide?

Discovering Ebola's host or hosts–called natural reservoirs–could also help scientists predict outbreaks and develop safety measures. Some scientists have suggested that bats are Ebola's natural reservoirs, and there is some evidence to support this theory.

Ebola is a reminder of why the world should pay attention to Congo

Local wars make it much harder to stop an epidemic from going global.

Ebola is back — and the top White House official in charge of pandemics is gone

An Ebola outbreak is never good news. But there is some reason not to fear the worst just yet. To start, with the DRC has a long history with Ebola (unlike the West African countries where the 2014 to 2015 outbreak originated). This would be the ninth known Ebola outbreak to strike the DRC, including one that involved five confirmed cases last year and was quickly stamped out. So that means health officials are experienced in spotting the virus and preventing it from spreading.

Ebola is Not a Weapon

Conspiracy theories are highly contagious. Here's why they're wrong.

Ebola survivors can pass on the virus: we’re trying to understand what role sex plays

Understanding how Ebola disease outbreaks are exacerbated by sexual transmission is important to stop new chains of transmission and to prevent the disease from spreading to new geographic regions. Multiple reports strongly suggest that re-emergence of Ebola disease is linked to persistent infections and sexual transmission from survivors.

Hell in the Hot Zone

As the Ebola epidemic rages, two questions have emerged: How did the deadly virus escape detection for three months? And why has a massive international effort failed to contain it?

How Ebola Kills You: It's Not The Virus

But when you look at the nitty-gritty details of an Ebola infection, a surprising fact surfaces: The virus isn't what ends up killing you. It's your own immune system.

How Women Helped Lead the Fight Against Ebola in Liberia

The head of Liberian organization Traditional Women United for Peace, Mama Tumeh recognized the urgency of the Ebola crisis almost immediately. She quickly jumped into action, working not only to protect Parker Corner, but also to unite other traditional leaders in the fight against the deadly disease. She implemented a host of rules and guidelines for her community to keep the virus out, while also leading outreach programs in other parts of the country.

I'm a Hazmat-Trained Hospital Worker: Here's What No One Is Telling You About Ebola

We have the technology, and we certainly have the money to keep Ebola at bay. What we don't have is communication. What we don't have is a health care system that values preventative care.

Inside the Ebola Ward: On the Front Lines in Uganda

I just emerged from the ebola ward. Inside there are three patients with confirmed ebola infection and another 15 or so who are awaiting test results. I suited up in full protective gear, so that not an inch of skin was showing. An expert from Doctors Without Borders oversaw my suiting-up.

Investing in health systems is the only way to stop the next Ebola outbreak

The emergency in the DRC demonstrates that despite all these positive changes, the global response to containing Ebola outbreaks is undermined by the lack of health care and public health infrastructure.

Link to African Ebola Found in Bats Suggests Virus Is More Widespread

January 28, 2013: For the first time, scientists have found evidence of the African Ebola virus in Asian fruit bats, suggesting that the virus is far more widespread around the world than had been previously known.

Pasha 37: Why the new Ebola vaccine may be a game changer

An Ebola vaccine is currently being trialled in Uganda. The vaccine, which has two doses, is designed to produce stronger and longer-lasting immune responses. One of the most important things about the vaccine is that it covers different strains of Ebola, which means it can treat more people. It is to be tested in Uganda and also in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been battling an outbreak of the disease for more than a year.

Review of 'The Hot Zone'

The viruses Preston writes about belong to a small family of "thread viruses" named Marburg and Ebola, seemingly primitive particles of RNA (genetic copying instructions) and proteins. Of Ebola's seven proteins, three are vaguely understood and four are "completely unknown — their structure and their function is a mystery."

Study finds Ebola treatment ZMapp holds promise, although results not definitive

“Importantly, the study establishes that it is feasible to conduct a randomized, controlled trial during a major public health emergency in a scientifically and ethically sound manner.”

Study Suggests Ebola Outbreak Was More Widespread

Researchers identified a number of people who were infected with deadly virus but didn’t report being sick.

That Ebola Vaccine Is Related To Rabies. Is It Safe?

An experimental vaccine offers total protection against Ebola, according to preliminary results from a large clinical trial. Among 4,000 vaccinated people, there were no cases of infection. The study concluded that the vaccine – known as 'rVSV-ZEBOV' – is "highly efficacious and safe in preventing Ebola virus disease".

The Ebola virus can ‘hide out’ in the brain after treatment and cause recurrent infections

Treatment with monoclonal antibodies is the current standard of care for Ebola. But recurrent infections can occur even after apparently successful treatment, and patients can inadvertently transmit the virus and cause new outbreaks.

The Most Terrifying Thing About Ebola

The disease threatens humanity by preying on humanity.

The New Ebola Outbreak Could Take 'Three, Maybe Four' Months to Control

The DRC's top virologist says the response has been quick, but it started late because of delays in reporting suspected cases.

The Paralyzing Uncertainty of Not Knowing Whether You’ll Get Sick

When I was exposed to the Ebola virus, I spent hours in a peculiar kind of panic.

The U.S. Helped Defeat Ebola in 2014. Now, We’re Watching a Crisis Become a Catastrophe

Imagine a firefighter battling a blaze while the sprinkler system emits gasoline. This is the current state of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This Congolese Doctor Discovered Ebola But Never Got Credit For It — Until Now

"It's time for the world to learn that Ebola was discovered by a Congolese," he said. "By Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe." Today, Peter Piot is the director of the prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He's friends with Muyembe and expresses nothing but admiration for not only his scientific prowess, but the way he has managed public health emergencies.

This nurse quit her job to fight Ebola in West Africa – read her story

Nurse Natalie Mounter quit her job in the UK and headed to the heart of the epidemic to volunteer in a hospital in Freetown. Here, we publish her diary entry after her first day...

We finally have an Ebola vaccine. And we’re using it in an outbreak

In a first, the experimental vaccine is being deployed in the DRC to try to stop an outbreak from spreading.

We’re in the middle of the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak ever

More than 1,000 people have been infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo since August 2018, according to the World Health Organization. The hemorrhagic fever, which is concentrated in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, has killed 629 people as of Sunday. That makes it the second worst Ebola outbreak on record, after the one that began in West Africa in 2014, which infected more than 26,000 and killed an estimated 11,300 people over the course of two years.

What if we’re no longer afraid of Ebola?

Historically, Ebola epidemics have been major news. This one, which is approaching its first anniversary and still going strong, less so. That’s despite the fact that it is the second largest on record, already six times bigger than No. 3. Most outbreaks have involved well under 100 people; in the North Kivu-Ituri outbreak, nearly 2,600 people have been infected and over 1,700 — 67% — have died. Why isn’t this one getting more attention?

What It’s Really Like on the Front Lines of the Ebola Fight

We’re seriously in awe of the Ebola fighters — who earlier this week were named TIME’s Person of the Year — so we jumped at the chance to chat with one.

What the Ebola emergency means, what it doesn’t mean, and what’s next

Finally, the World Health Organization has declared the world’s latest Ebola outbreak a global health emergency. But what, exactly, does that mean?

Why Does Ebola Keep Showing Up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

When news broke this week that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing yet another Ebola outbreak, many public health experts were not surprised. The vast central African country has dealt with more outbreaks of this often-fatal hemorrhagic disease than any other nation. Yet exactly why the DRC is hit so often remains an unanswered question.

Why Ebola is So Dangerous

Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

‘Ebola Is Now a Disease We Can Treat.’ How a Cure Emerged From a War Zone

A clinical trial conducted during an epidemic in a violent swath of Congo proved two new drugs can sharply reduce death rates