From the moment you arrive in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, it’s clear these are not normal times.

Leaving the airport takes longer because of mandatory health checks. Along the road to the hotel, billboards carrying Ebola prevention messages line the streets. On the radio, public health programmes urge people to protect themselves.

By the time the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, the virus had already been spreading undetected for weeks through the mining town of Mongbwalu, Rwampara and Bunia before reaching neighbouring provinces.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. It is generally considered less deadly than some other strains, but there is no approved vaccine, making early detection critical.

Our first stop was the Ebola treatment centre at Bunia General Hospital.