The World Health Organization confirmed Monday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo began in February, months before authorities officially declared it on May 15, leaving responders racing to contain the fastest-spreading outbreak on record.
Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, told a news conference that genetic sequencing traced the outbreak's origin. Early cases were misdiagnosed as malaria and typhoid, allowing the virus to spread undetected. "So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us," Janabi said.
Rare strain complicates response
This outbreak differs from previous ones because it is driven by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola species for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist. Initial testing targeted the more common Zaire ebolavirus, contributing to critical delays. Confirmed cases have reached 4,200 with more than 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures.
The death toll has climbed faster than any previous outbreak, including the 2014 to 2016 West Africa crisis that killed more than 11,000 people. That outbreak took roughly eight months to reach 1,000 deaths. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that transmission is outpacing containment efforts, with new cases doubling in some hotspots.
Health authorities report that between 60 and 70 per cent of new infections are occurring outside known contact chains, a signal that surveillance is missing widespread community spread.
Conflict and mistrust hinder containment
The outbreak zone in eastern Congo borders South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda, a region destabilized by decades of rebel conflict. Health teams navigate unpaved roads with shortages of protective equipment. Strikes by unpaid health workers, threats from armed groups and deep community mistrust have further hampered the response. Misinformation denying the virus's existence persists, while displaced populations lack reliable water for basic hygiene.
Pregnant women and other patients are avoiding health centres for fear of infection, putting additional lives at risk. Similar delays plagued the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak, which was declared in March 2014 although the first human case was later traced to December 2013.
Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg developed the VSV-EBOV vaccine used against Zaire ebolavirus, but it offers no protection against the Bundibugyo strain. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to monitor the situation and has issued travel health notices for the affected region.
Based on reporting by Global News.