5 things you should know about Ebola in DRC

An MSF team member prepares to enter the high risk zone of the Ebola treatment center in Mangina, DRC.

Democratic Republic of Congo 2018 © Carl Theunis/MSF

The current Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the second-largest on record. Officially declared in northeastern DRC on August 1, 2018, the outbreak has resulted in 733 cases and 459 deaths as of January 27, 2019, according to the World Health Organization. Its epicenter is in North Kivu, an area of already wracked by active conflict and political unrest. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is scaling up its outbreak response, using a new vaccine and therapeutic drugs and working with the community to contain the spread of the deadly virus.