WHO: Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Began Before Official Declaration
Al Jazeera English
The WHO revealed on August 11 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo actually began in February, months before its official declaration, with early cases misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid fever. The outbreak has confirmed 4,200 cases and at least 1,900 deaths, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on August 11 that the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) actually began in February, months before it was officially declared in mid-May. Some early infections were misdiagnosed as malaria and typhoid fever.
Speaking at a press conference on August 11, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said genetic sequencing results revealed the outbreak's origin. "We are running after the virus; the virus is ahead of us," Janabi said.
According to the latest data from the DRC government, the number of confirmed Ebola cases has reached 4,200, with at least 1,900 deaths.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, differs from most previous epidemics because it involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or treatment has been approved. Initial testing focused on the more common Ebola strain, contributing to delays in detection.
The epidemic is occurring under challenging conditions: many unpaid health workers have gone on strike, rebel groups pose threats, communities deeply affected by past crises are angry, and misinformation claims that Ebola does not exist.
Health workers must travel along remote dirt roads, lack protective equipment, and large numbers of displaced people have no reliable source of clean water to properly wash their hands.
This outbreak has killed people faster than any previous one, including the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, considered the worst in history with over 11,000 deaths out of more than 28,000 cases. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.
Ebola is a rare but highly transmissible disease spread through contact with bodily fluids such as blood and semen, as well as contaminated surfaces and objects like bedding and clothing. It causes severe illness and often leads to death.
Cases doubling in some areas
Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ebola was spreading faster than the response effort. New cases in some hotspots were doubling, Tedros wrote on social media platform X after a meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa.
Access to health services in the region is already hampered by years of conflict involving rebel groups in one of the most remote and vulnerable areas of the DRC.
On August 8, WHO recommended starting comprehensive human trials for Ervebo, the only licensed Ebola vaccine. Although Ervebo has been proven safe and effective against the common Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, WHO experts said early data suggest it may also offer some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain.
According to experts at the UN health agency, a vaccine specific to the Bundibugyo strain is a priority to fight the current outbreak. Two potential vaccines for Bundibugyo are in early-stage human clinical trials, and a third is being studied for entry into this phase.
Several past Ebola outbreaks were also declared weeks or months late, including the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. That outbreak was announced in March 2014, while the first case later identified had occurred in December 2013.
