Almost 140 dead as Ebola outbreak spreads in Congo
Congo has reported 689 confirmed cases of Ebola and 136 deaths in an outbreak that has also spread to neighbouring Uganda, which has reported 19 cases.
virus diseases
Ebola deaths rise to 100 as conflict slows response
The death toll from an Ebola outbreak that began in eastern Congo has hit 100, as protests and armed conflict continue to hinder efforts to stop the outbreak.
Shortages stall Ebola testing in three DR Congo labs
The World Health Organisation says three laboratories in the Democratic Republic of Congo have run out of supplies to test for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.
DR Congo warns of ‘rapid’ community spread of Ebola
The World Health Organisation chief has announced a $US518 million six-month plan to fight Ebola, voicing optimism the outbreak can be contained.
Dangerous winter virus far more than ‘just a bad cold’
Health authorities are urging seniors to get a free vaccine to protect them from a common winter virus that can cause severe illness, hospitalisation and death.
WHO chief rallies Congo’s Ebola response
Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says the latest Ebola outbreak is spreading at an unprecedented pace.
WHO chief urges safe burials in visit to DR Congo
The head of the World Health Organisation is visiting the centre of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Brazil probes a suspected case.
WHO chief says five Ebola cases have recovered
WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says while there's no vaccine or treatment for Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, it can be survived with medical care.
Cruise ready to sail again after hantavirus outbreak
The Hondius cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak has been disinfected by Dutch health authorities and is headed for the Arctic, its owners say.
WHO boss wraps up ‘challenging’ trip to Ebola-hit Congo
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Ebola testing needs ramp up in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Deadly protest in Kenya against Ebola quarantine centre
Kenya's president has defended a planned US Ebola quarantine centre that's been delayed by a court and faced angry protests that left two people dead.
Ebola testing improving amid Congo violence: WHO chief
The World Health Organisation chief says Congo's Ebola outbreak had a head start but testing is improving, even as violence plagues the region.
WHO reports 906 suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo
The head of the World Health Organisation is travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo to oversee efforts to battle an outbreak of Ebola.
Government accused of slow response to disease outbreak
Vaccine hesitancy, health staff shortages and overcrowding in remote communities could all be causes of a diphtheria outbreak, the federal health minister says.
Protesters set fire to Ebola tents in dispute over body
Tents have been burned to the ground at an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo as people rioted after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man.
WHO warns of high risk that Ebola ‘spreading rapidly’
The World Health Organisation is revising upward its assessment of the risk of Ebola within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda confirms new Ebola cases as tracing steps up
Uganda's Ebola cases have risen to five, as authorities warn the risk of a epidemic is "very high" in neighbouring Congo, where the outbreak began.
Congo reports more than 200 suspected Ebola deaths
More than 200 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died from Ebola, as authorities battle to control the outbreak, with nearly 900 cases reported.
More than 900 suspected Ebola cases reported in Congo
More than 900 suspected Ebola cases and 119 deaths have now been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the virus spreads.
Reported diphtheria death denied by health authority
A territory health authority says the death of a man in an outback hospital is in no way linked to diphtheria despite media reports to that effect.
Fast-moving Ebola outpacing response efforts: WHO chief
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says a delay in detecting Ebola cases means responders are "playing catch-up".
Fatality confirmed, disease rate dropping amid outbreak
The rate of diphtheria cases is dropping in a territory caught in the middle of a national outbreak after health authorities confirmed its first fatality.
Uganda closes border with DR Congo to curb Ebola spread
Ugandan authorities have ordered the closure of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo as cases surge there of a rare type of Ebola.
Ebola case confirmed in rebel-held area of DR Congo
A rebel-held area of the Democratic Republic of Congo - hundreds of kilometres from an Ebola outbreak's epicentre - has recorded a fatal case of the disease.
‘Concerning outbreak’: respiratory disease cases rising
Case numbers in one of Australia's worst diphtheria outbreaks are climbing, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joining the call for people to get vaccinated.
Ebola was likely circulating in Congo for two months
Experts suspect an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo started a couple of months ago, with 139 deaths reported so far.
Pandemic flashbacks as hantavirus group touches down
Scenes heavily reminiscent of the coronavirus pandemic have played out as passengers from a hantavirus-affected cruise ship touched down in Australia.
WHO revises down global hantavirus cases after US test
The total number of confirmed global hantavirus cases stands at 10, the World Health Organisation says as several people remain quarantined.
New Ebola outbreak confirmed in DR Congo, 80 deaths
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is convening an urgent meeting to reinforce preparedness following the latest outbreak of Ebola.
WHO declares global health emergency for Ebola outbreak
The United Nations health agency says 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases of Ebola have been reported.
Ebola deaths in Congo rise to 131 as outbreak spreads
The World Health Organisation is voicing deep concern over the Ebola outbreak in central Africa, where authorities have recorded over two dozen more deaths.