New Ebola cases in Congo: What you need to know
Key takeaways
- The virus spreads from direct person-to-person contact.
- https://p.dw.com/p/5ES0IMedical workers disinfect equipment before the burial of a suspected ebola victim; body fluids remain highly contagious up to a week after death Image: Xinhua/IMAGOAdvertisement.
- Understanding why the virus spreads as it does begins with how it enters the body.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The virus spreads from direct person-to-person contact. But here's what makes it especially lethal: it persists in corpses, and funeral practices often take place precisely when bodies are most infectious.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ES0IMedical workers disinfect equipment before the burial of a suspected ebola victim; body fluids remain highly contagious up to a week after death Image: Xinhua/IMAGOAdvertisement. A new Ebola outbreak is circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Genetic evidence suggests it had been spreading for weeks, possibly months, before detection. The strain is current, and much about its specific behavior remains unknown.
Understanding why the virus spreads as it does begins with how it enters the body. Unlike respiratory viruses that travel through air, Ebola requires something more direct.