BUNIA, Congo — The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo began in February, months before it was officially declared on May 15, allowing the virus to spread undetected as health teams struggle to contain its rapid growth.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, disclosed the finding at a news conference in Bunia on Monday, saying genetic sequencing indicated that the outbreak had started earlier than previously established.
The sequencing was conducted under the leadership of Dr Steve Ahuka, head of the virology department at Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, according to Dr Thierno Balde, WHO’s incident manager for the Ebola response.
Some of the early cases were initially attributed to other illnesses, including malaria and typhoid, contributing to delays in identifying the outbreak, Janabi said.
“So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,” he said.
Confirmed cases have reached 4,200, including more than 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures cited by the WHO.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that Ebola was spreading faster than response efforts, with new cases doubling in some hotspots.
Health authorities estimate that between 60 and 70 percent of new cases are being detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts, an indication of the difficulty health teams are facing in tracing transmission.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola species for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. Early testing focused on the more common type of Ebola, contributing to delays in identifying the virus responsible for the outbreak.
The response is also being complicated by insecurity and difficult living conditions in eastern Congo, an area affected by years of rebel conflict and located near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.
Health workers have faced strikes by some unpaid personnel, threats from rebel groups, shortages of protective equipment and misinformation about Ebola. Response teams are also travelling along remote, unpaved roads to reach affected communities.
The large population of displaced people in the region faces additional challenges, including limited access to reliable water for handwashing.
Some pregnant women and other residents have reportedly avoided health centres because of fears of contracting Ebola, potentially putting their health at further risk.
Despite the rapid spread in the affected region, WHO assesses the global risk of Ebola transmission as low because the virus does not spread through the air and is therefore more difficult to transmit than respiratory viruses.
The agency said cases detected outside the affected area have so far been identified and contained without resulting in sustained transmission.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen, as well as contaminated materials and surfaces such as bedding and clothing. The disease can be severe and frequently fatal.
The current outbreak has recorded deaths at a faster rate than previous Ebola outbreaks, including the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which resulted in more than 11,000 deaths from at least 28,000 cases.
Several previous Ebola outbreaks were also declared weeks or months after the virus first began circulating. In the 2014 West Africa outbreak, for example, the outbreak was declared in March 2014, while the first human case was later traced to December 2013.
Source: Associated Press
