September 2007 saw an outbreak of the lethal Ebola virus in the southern province of Kasai Occidental in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ebola virus, spread through contact with infected people, often proves fatal within two to three days and there is no vaccine or treatment for the disease. Within days of the outbreak, IRC teams were on the ground, providing logistical support and much-needed supplies to the Congolese ministry of health, as well as training health staff and communities in areas bordering the outbreak zone. The IRC’s provincial coordinator in the Kasai capital Kananga, Fergus Thomas, led a team across the affected area, distributing supplies.