Agence France-Presse: Nine confirmed dead in DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak: ministry
“Nine confirmed Ebola victims have died since the virus resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, the country’s health ministry said Tuesday. … ‘In total, 43 cases of hemorrhagic fever have been reported in the (Beni) region, including 16 confirmed and 27 probable, and 46 suspected cases are under investigation,’ the ministry said Tuesday…” (8/7).

CIDRAP News: Genetic tests confirm separate DRC Ebola outbreak; vaccination begins tomorrow
“…On Twitter [Tuesday], Peter Salama, MD, the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) deputy director general of emergency response, said the genetic testing at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa has confirmed that the Ebola Zaire virus found in North Kivu isn’t closely linked to the Equateur outbreak strain, confirming the North Kivu outbreak is a new event. He also said the confirmation means that responders can start using the VSV-EBOV vaccine, which targets the Ebola Zaire strain, as early as tomorrow…” (Schnirring, 8/7).

Reuters: Latest Congo Ebola outbreak is Zaire strain, vaccinations to start
“…The virus … poses a high regional risk, WHO has said, noting that Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan share borders with eastern Congo. About 900 contacts of confirmed or suspected cases have been identified for monitoring, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said…” (Nebehay et al., 8/7).

Additional reporting on this story is available from the Associated Press, Devex, New York Times, TIME, and VOA News.