The Covid pandemic demonstrated clearly that the speed of identification and response are both critical to controlling the spread of deadly viruses. Western political complacency at what was previously perceived as a theoretical danger from pandemics has been blown away.A small number of victims have been so far officially confirmed to have died due to the Ebola outbreak in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, suspected cases are in the hundreds and many more deaths will certainly be linked to the outbreak. The confirmation by scientists that the spread of the Bundibugyo strain had probably begun without detection in March is cause for concern.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has rung alarm bells by declaring a “public health emergency of international concern” –though not yet a “pandemic”– and has warned that early signs “all point towards a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported.” It faces the crisis following the withdrawal this year of its main funder, the US.Of particular concern is that there are no virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines for this strain which has a fatality rate of between 30 and 50 per cent. It is difficult to detect and stop, and the local response has also had to cope with cuts to western aid, depriving some labs of diagnostic equipment and testing kits. Early reports suggest significant deaths among medical staff. A rapid ramping up of international support is vital.Ebola outbreaks have mostly occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and most regularly in the DRC. The worst epidemic occurred in 2014 across Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria and claimed the lives of 11,308 people. The DRC experiences repeated outbreaks because of dense forests, high human-wildlife contact, weak health infrastructure, poverty and limited access to medical care. A long-standing civil war makes access by medical personnel to remote areas very difficult, but the deprived communities in this war-torn region need all the help they can get.