Congo is facing the worst outbreak of Ebola in its history. While that nation has experience battling the deadly disease, experts fear that a "perfect storm" of fighting, national elections and a mobile population will make containment impossible.
This outbreak — the second of the year — began five months ago in North Kivu province. When the disease first began to appear, the World Health Organization predicted an early end. It has since spread to Ituri province and the death toll has mounted, claiming more than 200 lives since August, another 330 cases are confirmed or probable, and it is estimated that there are 30 new infections each week. Last month, however, the WHO ruled that the outbreak did not meet the criteria for "a public health emergency of international concern."
That assessment may have reflected Congo's success in battling previous outbreaks. Its government has contained nine Ebola epidemics since 1976, including one in May of this year. Congo has developed a health infrastructure that allows it to monitor the disease, respond in real time to its appearance, treat victims, and safely and humanely deal with the dead. A new vaccine has been provided to over 27,000 high-risk individuals and experimental therapies are available to those who have been infected.