The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the biggest in the country's history, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
As of 30 July, there were 3,605 confirmed cases including 1,587 deaths - a fatality rate of 44%.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. It was declared on 15 May 2026 and surpasses the previous biggest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, which had nearly 3,500 recorded cases of whom almost 2,300 died.
There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, but vaccines are being developed in the UK and Singapore.
Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids, has killed 15,000 people across Africa over the last 50 years.

#ebola #bundibugyo #cases #strain

The AI buildout has resulted in an unanticipated casualty distant from Silicon Valley: telecom equipment manufacturers, who now compete with hyperscalers for the same memory chips. Three major companies, SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron, control more than 95% of worldwide DRAM production, and as AI data centers use an increasing share of that output, memory chips used in telecom base stations become scarcer and more expensive as a direct result. That is the mechanism behind Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC)'s worst single-day stock reaction in nearly three years.
The company's shares plunged about 12% on July 14, reaching their lowest level since February, after Ericsson warned that growing component costs, particularly memory chips, will affect margins in the future. Looking into Ericsson's Q2 2026 results, the market's harsh reaction was more about forward guidance rather than a breakdown in existing operational execution. Adjusted EPS was SEK 1.22 (~$0.13), which was in line with market expectations. Adjusted gross margin increased to 48.4%, a two-percentage-point year-over-year rise after normalizing for a prior-period IPR licensing settlement. Meanwhile, reported net sales declined 6% to SEK 52.7 billion ($5.62 billion), missing the SEK 53.71 billion forecast, while organic sales excluding currency and one-offs remained essentially flat.
What worried investors was guidance and cash flow, not the print itself. Free cash flow before M&A fell to SEK 0.4 billion from SEK 2.6 billion a year ago, owing to increased inventories being accumulated ahead of scheduled third-quarter deliveries. Management forecasted Q3 Networks adjusted gross margin to a range of 48% to 50%, a slight decrease from Q2 levels, noting a higher share of lower-margin network rollout projects and component inflation developing "gradually" during the second half of 2026 and into 2027.
Jefferies, which rated the stock at a Hold with a target price of 98 Kronor, framed the sales miss as being centered primarily on delayed India deliveries within the Networks division as opposed to broad-based demand weakness, and noted Ericsson is forecasting a stronger-than-seasonal third quarter as those delayed deliveries arrive.
The sudden selloff has generated an attractive valuation gap for long-term investors. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is currently trading at a 14.45x forward P/E multiple, representing a significant discount to key infrastructure rivals such as Nokia, which trade on similar 5G-cycle and edge-connectivity theses. The market's knee-jerk reaction appears to regard temporary component inflation as a permanent weakening of Ericsson's earnings potential, resulting in a clear disparity between price and underlying value.

#billion #adjusted #memory

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The death toll in Congo's Ebola outbreak has risen to at least 930, the country's Ministry of Health said on Monday, with 37 new deaths reported in a 24-hour span Friday into Saturday, one of the highest totals.
The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said.
The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or ***** , and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease is rare but severe and often fatal.
The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri. A total of five provinces have been affected, all in the eastern region where rebel violence is rampant.

#outbreak #deaths #eastern #disease

The last patient being treated for Ebola in Uganda has been discharged from hospital, leaving the country with no active confirmed cases of the deadly disease.
At a ceremony marking the occasion Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi described it as "a moment of joy".
The first case of this outbreak in Uganda was confirmed in May. He was a man who had travelled for treatment from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of the epidemic where almost 800 people have died.
In his latest briefing on the outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was now the world's third‑largest on record and was spreading at an alarming speed in DR Congo.
He warned it was happening more quickly than any previous outbreak and that 80% of new cases in DR Congo were from previously unknown transmission chains.

Eighty percent of new Ebola cases in eastern Congo are emerging from unknown chains of transmission, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response.
Congo has been battling an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola since May, with no approved treatment or vaccine. The Africa Centres for Disease Control says it is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.
"Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care," Chikwe Ihekweazu said after returning from Bunia, in Ituri province, one of the worst-hit cities. "And as of today, 80% of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission."
People who die outside the health system cannot be isolated, treated or have their contacts traced promptly, increasing the risk of further transmission.
The outbreak, Ihekweazu said, "continues to outpace the response efforts."

DAKAR, July 13 (Reuters) - The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to two more northeastern provinces, Haut-Uele ‌and Tshopo, the country's public health institute said in its ‌latest report.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases across the country rose to 1,926, including 702 deaths, official data showed late on Sunday. Four cases were recorded in Tshopo, including two deaths, with one death confirmed in Haut-Uele, as of Saturday.
The latest Ebola outbreak, Congo's 17th, was declared on May 15 and has been ‌largely concentrated in Ituri province, ⁠with cases also reported in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
The often fatal viral disease spreads through direct contact ⁠with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.
Reuters reported in late June that Congolese health authorities had started tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola ‌in Tshopo and Haut-Uele, but until now the two provinces had not been included in the government's daily reports.

A US citizen working for a humanitarian group in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Friday.
The CDC said it is working with the patient's employing organization, other federal agencies and partners in the DRC to help prevent further transmission and identify high-risk contacts.
No other details have been released about the patient. CNN has reached out to the CDC and the State Department for comment.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC has increased to 1,830 including 648 deaths, government data showed late on Friday, Reuters reported.
No Ebola cases have been confirmed in the United States and "the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low," according to the latest data published Saturday on the CDC website. The outbreak remains confined to remote areas of the DRC and neighboring Uganda, and the risk of it spreading to the US is "considered very low," it said.

KINSHASA, July 8 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases had been reported ‌in a new province, highlighting the expansion of the ‌ongoing outbreak as deaths hit 600.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,759 people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government's latest situation report published Wednesday night.
But that case total does not include two cases ‌in Kisangani, the ⁠capital of Tshopo province and one of Congo's biggest cities, the situation report said.
One of those cases is ⁠linked to the health zone of Niania in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported. But the second case "does not appear to have a geographic link" beyond Kisangani, it said.
The positive test results ‌are in the process of being validated by confirmatory testing, after which they will be included in the official case total, it said.

A patient suspected of having the Ebola virus at a Glasgow hospital has tested negative, health officials have confirmed.
Precautionary measures were taken after the patient was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in the early hours of Tuesday.
If confirmed it would have been the first case in the UK since an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in May.
The outbreak in Africa has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Patient tested for suspected Ebola virus at Glasgow hospital

DAKAR, June 30 (Reuters) - Congolese health authorities are tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously affected by the ‌latest outbreak, amid fears the virus could spread further, a health ‌ministry report and a senior health official said.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,307 people and killed 377 across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to government data released on Monday.
In Tshopo province, health workers are tracing people who may have been exposed to the body of ‌a pregnant woman who ⁠died of Ebola in Ituri's Niania health zone, according to a health ministry report dated June 29 and reviewed by ⁠Reuters.
The woman fell ill on June 18 and died on June 27, the report said. Her body was transported by motorcycle about 300 km west to the city of Kisangani in neighbouring Tshopo province, where a sample taken at a morgue ‌tested positive for Ebola.
The report said the body's journey through several health zones before the diagnosis was made created a high risk of transmission. Authorities have launched contact-tracing efforts across the province.

France has confirmed its first case of Ebola - a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The doctor was "immediately admitted to a specialised facility" and is in a stable condition, the French health ministry said on Wednesday.
DR Congo announced an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks previously.
More than 260 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the central African country, while 1,000 people have been infected.
This is the first Ebola case to have been confirmed in Europe, although an American doctor who tested positive in DR Congo was treated at a German hospital last month.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Congo's famous living statue finally made his World Cup debut on Tuesday.
Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo's ***** assinated independence leader Patrice Lumumba for the entirety of games, attended Congo's match against Colombia after missing its opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine requirements.
Lumumba Vea, as the sharply dressed supporter is known for his resemblance to the slain leader, was at his seat about an hour before the game at Estadio Akron. He wore a bright red jacket and tie, yellow shirt and blue pants. When the game began, he stood motionless on a pedestal behind the Congo bench with his right arm raised.
He did not want to be interview but nodded and smiled when asked if he was happy to have finally made it to the World Cup.
Congo played Portugal to a 1-1 draw last week in Houston.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda has claimed more than 200 lives in its first month and is the worst known outbreak at this stage, with up to 35,000 suspected potential contacts, Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
With 894 confirmed cases so far, the current outbreak is three times worse than a previous outbreak in Uganda in 2000, which had 281 cases at the same point, said Dr. Wessam Mankoula, a medical epidemiologist at Africa CDC.
The latest number of cases is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it was suspected to have begun. The number of cases has increased 38% since last week and is now in 32 health zones across eastern Congo, said Mankoula.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments and was not tested for in the early days. The more common Zaire virus, for which there is a vaccine, was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.
So far 74 patients have recovered from the disease across eastern Congo and Uganda. Experimental treatments like monoclonal antibodies are being developed for Bundibugyo.

Cristiano Ronaldo's record-equalling sixth World Cup got off to a disappointing start as the Democratic Republic of Congo secured their first ever point at the finals, drawing 1-1 with Portugal in their Group K match on Wednesday.
Yoane Wissa's header cancelled out Joao Neves's early goal and the African side -- appearing in their first World Cup since 1974 when it was known as Zaire -- more than held their own.
Ronaldo, 41, was largely a peripheral figure throughout the match -- failing to make the impact his great rival Lionel Messi had done on Tuesday in scoring a hat-trick against Algeria.
The DRC's achievement was even greater given their preparations had been disrupted by the Ebola outbreak back in their country.
Some Portugal players were wearing wrist bands, given to them by their Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, in tribute to late team-mate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash last year.

By Emma Farge, Jennifer Rigby and Clement Bonnerot
NAIROBI/LONDON/DAKAR, June 17 (Reuters) - Health workers battling an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lack the personnel to identify suspected cases, the ambulances to transport them and even the construction materials to build isolation wards, officials and aid workers ‌told Reuters.
A month after the World Health Organization declared an international emergency, the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain has grown to more than 800 ‌confirmed cases, with warnings mounting that it could become the worst on record — surpassing the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.
Health teams are so stretched that tens of thousands of contacts of those cases remain untraced, Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told Reuters, pointing to insecurity and the urban, mining-heavy setting of the outbreak as central obstacles.
"After four weeks we have an outbreak in an urban area where there is insecurity, where there is this mining and trade activity, and also where we are not reaching all the people who must be in the contact list," he said late on Tuesday.

The American doctor who contracted Ebola while working on a humanitarian mission in Congo has returned to the United States and said he's feeling well after recovering from the potentially deadly disease.
Dr. Peter Stafford, his wife, Rebekah Stafford, and their four children all arrived safely on Monday, according to Serge, a Pennsylvania-based Christian missions organization. Stafford has been Ebola-free since May 30, the organization said.
"I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me," Stafford said in a statement. "I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids. Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease."
Other missionaries and their families who were serving in Congo alongside Stafford have also been released from care and monitoring and have returned to the U.S., Serge said.
Stafford was working with the missionary group in Congo when he contracted the virus last month. He was evacuated to a hospital in Berlin to receive care on May 20 and was discharged on June 6, according to Serge. His wife, also a doctor volunteering with the organization, and their four children were also evacuated and quarantined.

By Jennifer Rigby and Mariam Sunny
June 3 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the world is "catching up" with the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, where there ‌have been 344 confirmed cases of the disease and 60 confirmed deaths, although challenges remain.
"The outbreak ‌had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government of DRC, we're catching up," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing.
The outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has spread to neighbouring Uganda where 15 cases have been confirmed, including one death, the agency said.
Access to testing has also improved, which is why hundreds of cases that were initially suspected as Ebola have now been ruled out, the WHO ‌said. The most common tests used for ⁠Ebola do not detect the Bundibugyo strain causing this outbreak, which had caused a backlog.

The World Health Organization has said efforts to contain the Ebola epidemic are “catching up”, despite the virus having had a “big head start.”
This week, WHO reported a major drop in the number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outbreak, after testing ruled out many of them.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday there were now 344 confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC outbreak and 116 suspected cases — a significant drop from the 1,000-plus suspected cases.

(NewsNation) — A leading physician and entrepreneur is raising concerns about how long the Ebola virus can survive in the human body, and warning that the standard 21-day monitoring window may not be enough.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, executive chairman of ImmunityBio, said research from Washington State University shows the virus can persist in the body for hundreds of days after infection — including in breast milk and ******* .
Race for Ebola vaccine intensifies as outbreak spreads in Congo
“Once Ebola patients get the infection, the latency and persistence can continue for hundreds of days,” Soon-Shiong said. “The question is, with the 21-day incubation period, do we get concerned about that? There’s a lot of unknowns.”
Soon-Shiong says health authorities are “taking a very proactive stance to treat patients who are very, very ill,” he said, adding that many patients in the current outbreak have severely compromised immune systems.

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — For patients in an Ebola outbreak with no approved medicine or vaccine, there is little comfort. But Arlette Basekawike, a volunteer for the U.N. food agency, is doing her best.
Her hair covered by a pink bonnet, Basekawike prepares porridge, omelets and bread for breakfast in a shed outside the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Lunch and dinner might include fresh fish with fufu, made of mashed plantains, finished off by fruit. She feeds both patients and health workers.
“Even though the patients have this disease, they still feel better when they eat, and the doctors have the energy to treat the sick and give them medication,” Basekawike told The ******* ociated Press as she prepared vegetables and potatoes with goat meat in a large pot. “I’m here for them like a parent, preparing food so they feel comfortable.”
Her contribution may appear like a simple task, but it has become a critical support for the remote region as it grapples with the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo virus, the rare species of Ebola confirmed in May.
As of Tuesday, 321 cases including 48 deaths had been confirmed in the Central African nation’s three eastern provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu, according to the World Health Organization. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the number of suspected cases has dropped to 116 from 906 last weekend as many were ruled out after investigation.

DR Congo calls on FIFA to refund World Cup tickets amidst Ebola-enforced travel restrictions

The Democratic Republic of Congo has appealed to FIFA to reimburse supporters who bought World Cup tickets, after a recent Ebola outbreak has severely limited travel to the United States.
The World Cup gets underway in just 16 days, with millions of fans anticipated to descend upon the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, creating scheduling conflicts with other major sporting events across North America. Political complications have added to the uncertainty, with Iran now set to be headquartered in Mexico, while U.S. visas remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, an Ebola outbreak has taken hold across Africa, with authorities reporting more than 900 suspected cases and 223 projected fatalities. The U.S. has swiftly sealed its borders to specific nations across central and East Africa, directly impacting DR Congo ahead of the tournament, as per The Mirror US.
Zohran Mamdani takes Philadelphia swipe while announcing $50 World Cup tickets
Mauricio Pochettino goes on rant defending decision to cut USMNT players via email

https://sports.yahoo.com/a...

Former CDC director on Ebola outbreak: ‘I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic’

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said Wednesday he suspects the spreading Ebola outbreak in Africa will spread across three new countries and become a “very significant pandemic.”
“I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic, probably going to leak into Tanzania, leak into southern Sudan, maybe leak into Rwanda,” Redfield said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
“So, it’s going to be very disruptive,” he added.
A majority of the Ebola cases are in Congo and Uganda.
Local health officials in the two nations reported 536 suspected cases, 105 probable cases, 34 confirmed cases and around 134 suspected deaths from the outbreak, according to the CDC.

https://www.yahoo.com/news...

At least nine people in southern Ethiopia have been infected with the deadly Marburg virus, a clinically similar cousin to Ebola, according to the WHO.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus.