Ebola Spreads Across 63 Health Zones in DR Congo

The outbreak now affects 63 health zones across seven provinces. This shows how difficult it remains for health teams to bring the disease under control.

The outbreak is reaching areas near two international borders. What is making the response so difficult?

The WHO director-general said that conflict and population displacement make it harder for health workers to reach communities. They also struggle to trace people who may have been exposed.

When families leave unsafe areas, health workers may lose contact with them. That makes it harder to find possible cases quickly and provide care.

Teams cannot always reach the communities that need help. Can they travel safely in these areas?

The director-general said it is difficult to separate the Ebola response from the conflict. Displacement creates access problems, and in some places teams cannot travel safely or easily.

The virus itself creates another challenge. Which strain is involved?

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain. The WHO says it is difficult to treat because there are no approved vaccines for this strain. The organization is speeding up trials of possible vaccines and treatments.

Contact tracing is also far below the level experts believe is needed. How large is the gap?

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says 7,000 confirmed cases should mean about 420,000 people on a contact list. Health workers have only about 30,000 now.

One official said that when an outbreak reaches the community level, it is not possible to talk about control. This gap shows how much information health teams are missing.

Which areas are carrying the largest share of the outbreak?

Ituri province is still the outbreak's center. It has recorded 6,032 confirmed cases since the epidemic began in May. This includes 868 new cases in the last 21 days. North Kivu is the second most affected province, with 1,480 new cases.

So treatment trials matter, but reaching people and finding contacts matter just as much. What does this tell us about the response?

A medical response cannot work fully if teams cannot reach the people involved. This is a health emergency, but it is also a test of access, trust, movement, and public safety.

Thanks for joining us, Noah.

Hurricane Polo has regained Category 5 strength as officials prepare coastal communities in Mexico.

Grace, LinguaWire’s news correspondent, has the latest.

Hello, Daniel. On Friday, Polo had maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. Category 5 begins at 157 miles per hour.

The storm was about 320 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, in Jalisco, Mexico. It was moving west at about 10 miles per hour.

The storm is extremely strong. What did the forecast say about its next steps?

Polo was expected to approach Baja California Sur on Monday. Forecast models said it could weaken to Category 1 before reaching northern Baja California Sur. After that, it could continue northeast into southern Sonora.

So even a weaker storm can still create serious danger through rain and waves.

That is the main concern. Polo could bring four to eight inches of rain, and some places could receive as much as ten inches. Officials warned that this could cause life-threatening floods and mudslides, especially in areas with steep ground.

Large waves were another risk. They were expected along the southwestern Mexican coast, farther north along the west-central coast, and along the Baja California peninsula.

People near the coast face danger both on land and at sea. What effects did officials mention?

Officials warned about dangerous surf, strong currents, and coastal flooding. These effects can continue even when the hurricane’s center is far away.

What steps have local authorities taken so far?

Mexican leaders ordered evacuations, opened shelters, and sent military troops to areas that could be affected. Schools in Acapulco were closed, and shelters remained open across Guerrero.

Authorities in Michoacán also canceled classes in coastal municipalities through Friday. They told residents not to leave home unless it was essential.

The preparation is happening before the storm reaches land. How quickly did Polo change strength earlier this week?

Forecasters call this extreme rapid intensification. It means wind speeds rise by at least 58 miles per hour in 24 hours. Polo's winds rose from 45 miles per hour early Monday to 150 miles per hour around the same time Tuesday.

That sudden change means forecasts and warnings have to be updated quickly.

Yes. Polo later regained Category 5 status, but forecasters expected it to begin slowly weakening by the weekend. People need to follow the full forecast, not just the category number.

Thanks for the update, Grace.

Let’s review three useful words from the Ebola story and one grammar pattern.

contact

A contact is a person who may have been near someone with an illness. In the story, health workers had only about 30,000 people on the contact list.

Please leave your contact details at the front desk.

trace

To trace means to find where a person, thing, or event came from or went. In the story, workers were trying to trace people who may have been exposed.

Doctors traced the illness to one early case.

exposed

Exposed means placed in contact with something harmful. In the story, people may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

The building was closed after workers were exposed to dangerous chemicals.

New Ebola cases were found.

We use the passive voice when the action matters more than the person doing it. We form it with a form of “be” and a past participle.

“New Ebola cases were found in Bulu.”

“Schools in Acapulco were closed.”

Repeat after me: New Ebola cases were found.