The U. S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that patients are not contagious until symptoms appear, simplifying contact monitoring compared to respiratory pathogens.
"You cannot get Ebola from being near someone," the CDC said.
Response efforts in Congo remain severely complicated by local mistrust, worker strikes over unpaid wages, and ongoing violence involving rebel groups such as the M23 and the Allied Democratic Forces.
Medical workers report that delayed identification severely hindered early containment strategies.
"There's never been an Ebola outbreak that started with so many cases because it was so late to be identified," said Trish Newport, emergency program manager for Médecins Sans Frontières.
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Human trials for potential vaccines and treatments targeting the Bundibugyo strain are currently underway, including clinical trials conducted by Oxford University and researchers in Ituri province.
