Technology and Science10 August, 20262 min read
WHO Says Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Began in February, Months Before May 15 Declaration
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Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo began in February, months before its May declaration. Sequencing suggests initial cases appeared earlier than the official recognition.
Delay and doubling cases
The World Health Organization said Congo’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record started in February, months before it was officially declared in mid-May, as responders in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) struggle to catch up.
WHO regional director for Africa Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi told a news conference that sequencing indicated the outbreak’s start and that some early cases were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid.
WHO said confirmed cases have reached 4,200, including over 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures, and the outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous ones because the rare Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccines or treatments.
Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ebola is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, with new cases doubling in some hot spots, and health authorities said between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of new cases are recorded outside contacts being monitored.
Chasing the virus
Janabi framed the gap between detection and spread with the line, "So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us," as he described sequencing evidence for when the outbreak began. The WHO said early testing was conducted for the more common type of Ebola, contributing to delays, while the outbreak is unfolding in challenging conditions that include strikes by some unpaid health workers, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatized communities and misinformation asserting that Ebola isn’t real.
WHO said health teams travel remote, unpaved roads and have reported shortages of protective gear, while displaced people struggle to find reliable water sources for washing hands hygienically. In Bunia, Congo, ABC News reported Janabi’s remarks at a news conference and reiterated that the outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous ones because the rare Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccines or treatments.
Ervebo trials and risks
The WHO said the outbreak’s declared date of May 15 comes after earlier Ebola outbreaks were also declared weeks or months late, including the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak declared in March 2014 even though the first human case was later found to have occurred in December 2013. On Friday, the WHO recommended the start of full-scale human trials for the Ervebo vaccine, described as the only licensed Ebola vaccine, while WHO said Ervebo has proven safe and effective against the more common Zaire strain and early data showed it may also give some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain.
Al Jazeera reported that a specific Bundibugyo vaccine is the preferred option for fighting the current outbreak, with two potential Bundibugyo vaccines in early stages of clinical trials on people and a third being worked on to get it to that stage. The sources also tied the scientific and operational stakes to access and behavior, saying some pregnant women and others are avoiding health centers for fear of the virus, at risk to their lives, as the outbreak continues to accelerate.