The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 8,000 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,901 deaths in an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain — the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the country's history. With no approved vaccine or treatment for this strain, the World Health Organization says trials for three candidate vaccines are expected to begin by October or November, while a test programme using jabs developed for a different Ebola strain is already under way. On the sidelines of last week's UN General Assembly, international donors announced fresh support: the European Union pledged €7.5 million for the emergency response and long-term health surveillance, while the United States released an additional $267 million to help combat the outbreak.