在1976年，当时年仅27岁的医学毕业生Peter Piot共同发现了伊波拉病毒。在将近50年后的2026年，中非爆发了罕见的邦地布优（Bundibugyo）病毒株疫情，导致刚果民主共和国东部报告了近350例病例。与扎伊尔（Zaire）病毒株不同，该病毒株缺乏批准的疫苗和诊断检测，因为现有工具仅对扎伊尔病毒株有效。尽管面临这些挑战且疫情可能会持续到2026年底之后，Peter Piot指出，与新冠肺炎（Covid-19）等呼吸道疾病相比，伊波拉病毒的传染性并不高，这降低了全球大流行的威胁。

伊波拉病毒的死亡率因病毒株和支持性照护的不同而有显著差异。虽然1976年的扎伊尔病毒株的病死率高达90%（10人中有9人），但先前邦地布优病毒株的疫情记录到较低的病死率，约为30%（3人中有1人）。传播是透过与体液的密切接触发生的，通常发生在照护过程或传统葬礼期间。在1976年的疫情期间，18至30岁女性的死亡人数是男性的两倍，因为孕妇接受治疗时仅使用了三个针筒，而这些针筒仅在一天结束时才进行一次消毒。

控制目前的疫情因地区冲突和缺乏公众信任而变得复杂，这已导致医疗设施被焚毁。高人口密度，例如在有近100万（1,000,000）名难民居住的戈马（Goma），加剧了城市传播的风险。现年77岁的Peter Piot强调，尽管自1976年以来非洲的临床能力已有所提升，但对抗这场流行病除了需要投入公共资金以开发针对较罕见病毒株的疫苗外，还需要解决被社群媒体放大的错误资讯。

In 1976, Peter Piot, then a 27-year-old medical graduate, co-discovered the Ebola virus. Nearly 50 years later in 2026, a new outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain has emerged in Central Africa, leading to almost 350 reported cases in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Unlike the Zaire strain, this strain lacks approved vaccines and diagnostic tests because the existing tools are only effective against the Zaire strain. Despite these challenges and the fact that the outbreak could persist beyond the end of 2026, Peter Piot notes that Ebola is not highly contagious compared to respiratory diseases like Covid-19, which reduces the threat of a global pandemic.

The mortality rates of Ebola vary significantly by strain and supportive care. While the Zaire strain in 1976 had a case fatality rate of 90% (9 out of 10), previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain recorded a lower rate of approximately 30% (1 out of 3). Transmission occurs through close contact with bodily fluids, often during caregiving or traditional funerals. During the 1976 outbreak, twice as many women aged 18 to 30 died compared to men because pregnant patients were treated using only three syringes that were sterilized only once at the end of the day.

Controlling the current outbreak is complicated by regional conflict and a lack of public trust, which has led to the burning of health facilities. High population densities, such as in Goma where nearly 1 million (1,000,000) refugees reside, exacerbate the risk of urban transmission. Now 77 years old, Peter Piot emphasizes that although African clinical capacity has improved since 1976, combating the epidemic requires addressing misinformation amplified by social media alongside investing public funds to develop vaccines for less common strains.