Understanding Ebola’s wildlife origins is crucial to preventing next big outbreak

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is contending with a severe outbreak of Bundibugyo virus, an Ebola strain that has caused more than twelve hundred fifty confirmed cases and at least three hundred sixty-two deaths. According to The Guardian World, understanding where this virus originates in wildlife is crucial—not only to prevent future human infections, but also to stop the retaliatory killing of animals wrongly blamed for spreading disease. Bundibugyo causes sudden onset symptoms: severe headaches, diarrhea, and failure of the kidneys and liver, sometimes accompanied by internal and external bleeding. A particular danger lies in the virus's ability to remain contagious after death, meaning families face significant exposure when washing and preparing bodies for burial—a critical part of funeral rites in affected regions.

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