Caught Between Killers: Ebola on One Side, Islamic State on the Other

An outbreak spreads east

Six months after Ebola was first detected in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the outbreak continued to claim lives. The virus had spread into eight provinces, creating numerous hot spots across the rainforest.

Health workers had contained the virus where it was first found, but infections were rising elsewhere. Biakato, a small town deep in the rainforest, suddenly accounted for as many as one-quarter of new cases nationally.

Severe shortages in Biakato

Residents of Biakato were left with dangerously little support to protect themselves from the outbreak. Medicine, IVs and basic protective supplies were scarce. In a besieged town, three-quarters of Ebola patients had died, according to the account. Bodies were stacked on makeshift racks in a shed near the hospital gate.

A new threat to containment

The effort to contain Ebola encountered another danger: the Islamic State. The account identifies the group as a threat to the campaign, without providing further details about its role.

The outbreak had become harder to track as it spread among many hot spots. While health workers had contained it at its point of origin, cases were surging in other areas.