The World Health Organization has declared a new public health emergency. Bundibugyo, an Ebola strain for which we have no vaccine and no treatment, is now spreading across the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. So far, there have been more than 900 suspected cases and about 220 suspected deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Centered in a region with active conflict and fragile health systems, the outbreak has already crossed the borders into Uganda.

Public health advocates will spend the next several months talking about transmission, case fatality, contact tracing, and vaccine development. But one critical topic will go largely undiscussed: what this outbreak will do to women and girls.

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On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to be a public health emergency. This outbreak is deadly, with hundreds of cases across at least two countries, including, by report, one American who was working in the area.

At the same time, a cluster of hantavirus cases linked to a Dutch cruise ship in the South Atlantic has killed three and exposed hundreds more.

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