Pressure Systems edition
Congo Ebola Surge Meets Unpaid Health Worker Strikes
July 27, 2026
What this edition shows
Unpaid medical personnel and surging infection rates across five Congolese provinces expose a collapsing public health infrastructure as the fastest-ever Ebola outbreak outpaces WHO containment efforts. Concurrently, North American catfish populations reveal a novel transmissible cancer across the US-Canada border while domestic measles cases surpass annual totals amid declining vaccination rates.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 6 sources
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The Race to Contain the Fastest-Ever Ebola Outbreak
According to the WHO, the epidemic is “outpacing” response efforts.
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Ebola infections in DR Congo surge to 3,200, with 1,405 deaths
Cases have surged by 1,000 in just 10 days as outbreak continues to spread across five provinces.
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Contagious Cancer Found in North American Catfish
Scientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.
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Ebola deaths in DRC surge past 1,300 as virus ‘spreading like a wildfire’
The outbreak is spreading at the fastest rate ever recorded and threatens to become the worst in history.
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‘There’s no salary’: DRC health workers tell of hardship as Ebola spreads
Health workers in the DRC battle a range of obstacles, from infection risk to angry mob attacks.
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US records 2,318 measles cases, already surpassing 2025 total
Scientists warn that falling vaccination rates leave vulnerable groups such as young children more exposed to disease.