The known unknowns of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The data race to find out how fast Ebola is spreading.
On the 17th of May the World Health Organisation declared a new outbreak of Ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an International Emergency.
Ebola virus is an extremely nasty viral disease with a high death toll. But despite its severity, very little is known about the number of infections in this current outbreak, in part because this particular species of Ebola is a rare one.
Headlines recently stated that modelling shows that the number of infections could be almost 1,000 more than recorded. We speak to Dr Ruth McCabe, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, who worked on the modelling behind those estimates.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Sound Mix: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Richard Vadon
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- Sat 30 May 2026 04:50GMT麻豆社 World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, East Asia & South Asia & Live News
- Sun 31 May 2026 04:50GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa
- Sun 31 May 2026 08:50GMT麻豆社 World Service Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 31 May 2026 10:50GMT麻豆社 World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life
