And in another alarming update, authorities in DR Congo confirmed on Thursday that the virus was spreading much faster than in previous outbreaks. This outbreak is the 17th to have emerged in DR Congo since Ebola was discovered 50 years ago. Uganda's first known case this time was a man from DR Congo who crossed the border for treatment. Advertisement AdvertisementUganda acted fast, but it also had an advantage over DR Congo when it came to responding to the virus. Before the first cases were reported in DR Congo, Ebola had been spreading undetected for weeks.