[New form of hemorraghic fever in Zaire].

The purpose of this report is to describe the events that occurred immediately before and during the first weeks of the Ebola virus epicemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in September and October 1976. By October 4 Dr Raffier and Dr Ruppol were already on hand at the epicenter of the epicemic in the Equator region about 1000 km from Kinshasa. They had been mandated by the State Health Commissioner to conduct a firsthand assessment of the reportedly disastrous local conditions and to implement emergency measures necessary to reassure the population. It was immediately understood to take all steps to prevent mass migration and to collect specimens necessary for rapid identification of the cause of an exceptionally serious crisis situation. Traveling by plane and helicopter the two physicians went to the cities of Bumba and Lissala as well as to many surrounding villages including Yambouku where the first case was reported. Upon returning to Kinshash on October 9, specimens were sent to the CDC in Atlanta where the offending virus was identified. Authorities in Paris and Bruxelles were alerted of the emergency in order to secure the assistance of various specialists incuding virologists, epidemiologists, biologists and entomologists. Most of the new staff arrived on October 23 and were joined by colleagues from the United States, Belgium, and Canada as well as one specialist from South Africa on October 30. These experts were then able to form an International Medical Comission for an in depth assessment of this new epidemic outbreak.