The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1500 people in eastern Congo, marking a 50 per cent increase in about a week that shows the emergency continuing to outpace response efforts. The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccines or treatments. Neighbouring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola on Tuesday following the discharge of the country's last patient in mid-June. Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The latest outbreak has killed more people at a quicker rate than any previous outbreak, including in 2014 to 2016 when 28,000 cases were reported, of which more than 11,000 people died.