The Most Basic Step of the Ebola Response Is Falling Short
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the second-worst in history, with cases doubling every 10 days. Health officials are struggling to control the spread due to failures in diagnostic testing and surveillance infrastructure.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of a lethal virus in a vulnerable region poses a significant global health security risk.
Curbing the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will require stepping up testing.
Benediction Murhbazi / AFP/ Getty August 7, 2026, 9:13 AM ET Share Save The fight against Ebola is not going well. Last week, the head of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, announced that the ongoing outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had ballooned into the second worst of all time, a milestone he had thought was possible to avoid only weeks before. Rather than the spread of the virus slowing, cases are doubling about every 10 days; more than 1,800 people have died, though the actual toll is likely at least twice as high . His organization is now fighting to keep this Ebola outbreak from becoming the worst on record, Kaseya said at a press conference.
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