Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa: Fruit Bats May Have Transmitted Virus to Humans The new Ebola sub-strain spreading through central Africa may have jumped from fruit bats to humans in the first incident of its kind. Researchers are now racing to contain the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where at least 204 people have died and an estimated 870 have been infected. The new Ebola sub-strain spreading through central Africa may have jumped from fruit bats to humans in the first incident of its kind. Researchers are now racing to contain the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where at least 204 people have died and an estimated 870 have been infected. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday escalated its warning, upgrading the threat level from 'high' to 'very high'. Health officials believe the outbreak may have been silently spreading for months before it was identified. The earliest known victim was a nurse in the eastern city of Bunia who fell ill on April 27, though experts suspect the virus had already been circulating undetected long before then. The scale of the crisis has grown dramatically in just days.Since the WHO declared a public health emergency last Sunday, suspected cases have surged from 246 to around 750, while deaths have climbed from 65 to 177. The epidemic is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, behind only the devastating 2014-16 outbreak that killed 11,300 people and the 2018 to 2020 epidemic that claimed 2,300 lives.Scientists say the current outbreak is being driven by Bundibugyo Ebola - a rare strain previously seen only in two relatively small outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012. Red Cross workers bury an Ebola victim at the Rwampara Cemetery, in Bunia, Congo, Saturday, May 23, 2026 Health teams screen travelers and vehicles entering the country for Ebola as precautions has been stepped up at the Mpondwe Border Crossing on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).The new Ebola sub-strain spreading through central Africa may have jumped from fruit bats to humans in the first incident of its time. However, genetic sequencing has shown this version differs significantly from earlier outbreaks, suggesting a fresh transmission from animals into humans.'The current outbreak is almost certainly a new transfer from wildlife to humans,' Aris Katzourakis, a professor of evolution and genomics at the University of Oxford, said. Experts believe fruit bats may be responsible, although no definitive source has yet been identified. David Matthews, a professor of virology at the University of Bristol, said bats were the most likely culprit because of their known links to earlier Ebola outbreaks.'But that is a guess and a starting point to look for better evidence,' he added. Primates are also known to carry the virus in the wild. The emergence of a different Ebola species has created major problems for health workers. Existing vaccines and treatments were developed against the Zaire strain responsible for previous major epidemics - not Bundibugyo.There are currently no approved vaccines, treatments or rapid diagnostic tests specifically designed for the strain now spreading through central Africa, severely limiting efforts to halt transmission. Trudie Lang, professor of global health research at Oxford University, warned that the disease can initially resemble malaria, making it harder to identify in its early stages.Although experts stress the chances of the virus spreading widely in the West remain low because Ebola spreads through bodily fluids rather than through the air, Lang warned countries could not afford complacency. Fears are also mounting that the outbreak could spread into neighbouring South Sudan, a country already grappling with violence, severe flooding and food shortages. The response effort inside the DRC has faced major obstacles.Last week, tents at treatment centres were reportedly set ablaze after grieving relatives were stopped from removing the body of an Ebola victim for burial. Some infected patients then fled the makeshift facilities, raising fears the virus could spread even further. Bundibugyo Ebola has a mortality rate of roughly 32 per cent, compared with around 79 per cent for untreated Zaire Ebola. Doctors believe survival rates improve significantly when patients receive rapid treatment and access to modern hospital care