The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially upgraded the public health risk from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 'high' to 'very high' - which, in the hierarchy of alarming adjectives, is just a notch below 'oh dear god.'

In an update on Friday, WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clarified that the risk in the wider African region remains 'high' and globally 'low,' which is probably small comfort to anyone living near an outbreak zone. The culprit is the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which kills about a third of those infected and currently has no proven vaccine. So far, the outbreak has resulted in 177 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases.

Meanwhile, scientists at Oxford University are working on a new vaccine based on the same technology behind the AstraZeneca Covid jab, with clinical trials possibly starting in two to three months. Animal testing is already underway in Oxford, though there are no guarantees it will work - because science is hard and viruses don't cooperate. The Serum Institute of India is lined up to mass-produce the vaccine once Oxford supplies the medical-grade material.

A separate experimental Bundibugyo vaccine is also in development, but it's expected to take six to nine months before any dose is ready for testing. Dr. Vasee Moorthy, WHO's research and development adviser, called that vaccine 'the most promising' earlier this week, describing it as the equivalent of Ervebo, which is already used for the more common Zaire Ebola species.

At Friday's news briefing in Geneva, Tedros reported that 'so far, 82 cases have been confirmed in DRC, with seven confirmed deaths.' He added that the situation in neighboring Uganda - where there have been two confirmed cases and one death - was 'stable,' with both cases involving people who had traveled from DR Congo.

Ebola is a rare but deadly disease caused by a virus that normally infects animals, typically fruit bats. Outbreaks among humans can start when people eat or handle infected animals - because nature's buffet sometimes comes with a side of hemorrhagic fever.

On Sunday, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, but stressed it was not at pandemic level. Tedros also emphasized the need to build trust, warning that violence and insecurity in the war-ravaged region are hampering the response. Some cases have been confirmed in rebel-held areas, adding a layer of geopolitical complexity to an already dire situation.

The challenges were underscored when angry relatives set fire to a hospital in eastern DR Congo after health workers refused to release a patient's body due to contamination risks. Local politician Luc Malembe Malembe described the scene at Rwampara General Hospital: 'They started throwing projectiles at the hospital. They even set fire to tents that were being used as isolation wards.' Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd. The body of a dead Ebola victim is highly infectious, and safe burial is crucial to stop the virus's spread.

Medical workers at the hospital, near Bunia in Ituri province where almost all cases have been reported, were placed under military protection as order was restored. Fear has gripped the affected areas as the suspected death toll continues to climb. 'Ebola has tortured us,' a young taxi rider in Rwampara told the BBC. 'I am scared because people are dying very fast... we are really afraid.' Fred Kiza, another resident, called such fear 'normal when there's a disease like this.' Because when a virus with no vaccine and a 33% fatality rate is on the loose, anything less than abject terror would be irrational.