Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has announced free treatment against the new Ebola virus for the next three months. The Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC has claimed 55 lives since the start of the month. This is the 10th outbreak to strike the DRC since 1976, when Ebola was first identified. Ebola has long been considered incurable, though isolation and the rapid treatment of symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration has helped some patients to survive. The quest for a vaccine grew increasingly urgent during an Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11 000 people in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2013 to 2015. To help us unpack this discussion, we are joined by: • Tarik Jašarević Spokesperson / Media Relations/ World Health Organisation. Mobile • Florent Del Pinto is Head of Emergency Operations for Ebola at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies