Ebola outbreak: the data that show why researchers are so alarmed The size of the outbreak in its initial days is worrying researchers. The next few weeks will determine how large it grows, they say. By Ewen Callaway, Mariana Lenharo & Lauren Wolf

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01646-x?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=b4f9d9a103-nature-briefing-daily-20260522&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50432164 Compared with past outbreaks of Ebola, the number of cases this early in the current one are a serious cause for concern, say researchers. However, there’s “no indication that this is likely to lead to tens of thousands of infections”, as happened in the record-setting outbreak that began in 2014, says infectious-disease specialist David Wohl. The trajectory of the current outbreak will hinge on how quickly and effectively control measures can be put into place in the coming weeks, officials say.