Quick Ebola update: Over 600 confirmed cases in Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak.

Health workers bring a victim to an ambulance. ABC News/AFP.

Just a reminder, the 2nd worst Ebola outbreak in history continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Right now there are 600 confirmed cases and 396 deaths with 649 people showing symptoms of the disease. 

It also doesn't appear that the conditions that are making this outbreak as bad as it is are going to change anytime soon. There are still rebel attacks on aid workers and health workers can't get to many of the infected people. It is also making contact tracing much harder which means it will continue to spread. 

There is also a major threat of the outbreak expanding to other countries. People will be fleeing both the violence and the virus will bring the virus with them. Given the long incubation time for the Ebola virus, many of the people who are infected might not even know they are infected. 

The good news is that the conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo would not be the same in other countries. Even the other African countries surrounding Congo are in better shape and would be better able to contact trace, isolate and vaccinate any victims that enter their countries. Western countries would do even better. 

And I have to point out that this outbreak could have been much worse. The aid workers are doing whatever they can to isolate, vaccinate and contact trace the people effected by the outbreak. And we can't ignore the victory that developing a vaccine was. Without those two things this outbreak could have already exceeded the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak that killed 11,000 people... 

Hopefully things will be brought under control soon. As bad as things are politically and militarily in Congo, it's likely the virus will burn itself out eventually. Aid workers are helping even if they are being somewhat stymied. And hopefully the Islamist rebels in the region will realize that Ebola is a common enemy that will infect and kill them too if it isn't brought under control. Until then, I will continue to monitor this outbreak.