‘Invisible’ Ebola transmission in the DRC may make it a bigger threat

Church service in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being monitored for Ebola cases

JOHN WESSELS/AFP/Getty Images

The world’s epidemic watchers are holding their breath this week. The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo seems to be subsiding, after striking 120 people and killing 78 as of 1 September. But Tedros Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, has warned that the coming days will be critical.

That is partly because the outbreak is in North Kivu province in the war-torn northeast of the DRC, where fighting by more than 50 armed …