The World Health Organization (WHO) said on August 18 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may have started in January this year, giving the virus a "head start" over response efforts. Speaking at a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized: "The outbreak has had a head start, and we are still behind," but efforts are gradually catching up.
Since the outbreak was detected in mid-May, the Bundibugyo strain of the virus has caused 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths in the DRC, along with 15 cases and 1 death in neighboring Uganda. The first identified case was a nurse who visited a health facility on April 24, but Tedros said the outbreak may have appeared earlier: "It could have been January, February, March or April. I think for now, we need to focus on the response."
The WHO chief said the response is being hampered by comprehensive travel bans, such as one by the United States, which disrupt supply chains and hinder control efforts. He urged countries to lift these measures. Additionally, insecurity and displacement in Ituri province—the hardest-hit area—make contact tracing difficult, with only about 45% of contacts being monitored. He stressed: "To overcome the outbreak, we need to bring that number above 90%."
Suspected cases in the DRC dropped sharply from over 1,000 to 116 on Tuesday after officials cleared a backlog of tests. Tedros said the top priority is expanding testing and diagnostic capacity in affected areas as well as neighboring provinces and countries. Community mistrust is a serious barrier; some local leaders do not even believe Ebola is real, and fear that response efforts will divert resources from other essential services. No vaccine or treatment is available for the Bundibugyo strain, but the recovery of six people in the DRC and two in Uganda shows that patients can survive if given timely medical care.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced the creation of a multi-hazard research network, through which British experts and international partners can quickly provide advice and evidence on emerging infectious diseases and other crises, including the current Ebola outbreak.
