Congo’s Ebola outbreak passes a grim threshold

More than 4,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fast-growing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, while unpaid health workers and insecurity are disrupting containment.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no widely established treatment or vaccine. AP reports more than 8,300 confirmed cases, making the scale of transmission the central concern.

Containment is being complicated by delayed pay for health workers, insecurity and community mistrust. Those problems hit the exact functions Ebola response depends on most: surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and safe treatment.

An aid worker from Médecins Sans Frontières was infected and evacuated to the Netherlands, while more than 50 health workers have died. The next test is whether authorities can restore field staffing and slow spread into new zones.