The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided an explainer detailing how the Ebola virus spreads, its symptoms, and identifying those most at risk.

• Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or tissues of an infected person or contaminated objects.
• Common symptoms include sudden fever, weakness, headache, and muscle pain, with more severe symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding occurring as the disease progresses.
• The WHO highlights that hunters, family members caring for infected relatives, and health workers without adequate protective equipment are among those most at risk.

Kenya's Ministry of Health has identified 22 counties at risk of an Ebola outbreak due to rising cases in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), prompting heightened surveillance.

• 22 Kenyan counties have been classified into four risk tiers (very high, high, medium, low).
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the national threat level in the DRC to "very high" with 82 confirmed cases and 177 suspected deaths reported.
• Health experts are concerned about the Bundibugyo strain, which lacks an approved vaccine or specific treatment, though a new vaccine candidate is in development.