National Geographic - USA (2020-08)

IN FOCUS

Ebola

Since 1976,

when it first

emerged in

Sudan and

near the Ebola

River in what is

now the Demo-

cratic Republic

of the Congo,

the Ebola virus

has reappeared

periodically

in central and

western Africa.

Mourners carry the coffin
of Liliane Kapinga
Ebambe, a three-year-old
who died of Ebola in
July 2019 in Beni, a city in
the eastern part of the
Democratic Republic of
the Congo. Despite
extensive vaccination
campaigns, the virus has
persisted here, in part
because of distrust of
health officials, widespread
misinformation, and
festering violent conflicts.
Liliane’s parents believe
their daughter was
poisoned and that Ebola
is a conspiracy by other
countries to wipe out
the Congolese people.
MARCO GUALAZZINI, CONTRASTO/REDUX

Transmitted by contact
with bodily fluids,
Ebola causes
hemorrhaging and
organ failure. It kills
about half of those
who become infected.