Congo's Ebola Quagmire: A Grim Reminder of the Unreached The World Health Organization's latest warning about the unfolding Ebola catastrophe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a stark reminder that, despite significant advances in medical science and international cooperation, we still struggle to contain outbreaks in some of the most vulnerable regions on Earth.
The epidemic has taken hold at an alarming rate – more than 2,000 cases in just two months, with nearly 800 lives lost – making it the third largest Ebola outbreak on record.
A Pattern of Failure The WHO's dire warning echoes a disturbing pattern: that the world's most advanced healthcare systems often fail to stem the tide when confronting outbreaks in resource poor countries.