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Ebola Surges in DRC: WHO Declares Emergency
27 May
Summary
- WHO warns Ebola is spreading faster than response efforts in DRC.
- The Bundibugyo strain has a fatality rate between 21 and 50 percent.
- Vaccine development is underway, with trials possible in months.
The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic emergency, the highest alert level, due to an accelerating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus is spreading faster than health workers can respond, with 51 confirmed and 900 suspected cases linked to the current outbreak, primarily in Ituri Province.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, first discovered in 1976, has a concerning fatality rate of 21 to 50 percent. Initial testing difficulties with this specific strain, which differs from the more common Zaire strain, delayed detection for weeks.
While cases are confirmed in the DRC, two suspected cases were reported in Uganda, with one suspected death in Kampala. A suspected case also emerged in Bengaluru, India, and two suspected cases in Italy were later ruled out. Ten other African countries are considered at risk by the Red Cross.
Scientists at Oxford University are urgently working on a vaccine, the ChAdOx1 BDBV, which could be available for clinical trials in two to three months. However, efforts to contain the spread are hampered by aid cuts and widespread misinformation, with one-third of people at the outbreak's epicenter doubting the virus's reality.
