Inside the hunt for Ebola's patient zero

Tracing a super-spreader amid rumors and fear.

One Essential Read One Essential Read Recommended by Kate Turton, Newsletter Editor A cracked coffin, a funeral and the hunt for Ebola's patient zero   Red Cross workers disinfect the house of an Ebola victim in Mongbwalu, where at least 40 people are confirmed to have died in the outbreak. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Today my recommendation is this excellent piece from Reuters colleagues in Africa and from around the world. It tells the story of a pastor's coffin that broke on the rocky road home to his burial ceremony, which investigators suspect was one of the earliest super-spreader events in Congo's mushrooming Ebola epidemic. They pieced together the events surrounding the pastor's funeral in the remote gold-mining town of Mongbwalu through interviews with doctors, local officials and victims’ relatives and a review of hospital, burial and government records. Read the full article Read more Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded displacement camp in Congo 'Blind spots' could hide full spread of Congo's Ebola outbreak, WHO suggests No boots, masks running out: why Congo’s Ebola medics are exposed   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters One Essential Read is sent three days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036