WHO chief warns of rapid spread of rare Ebola strain in eastern Congo

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed concern over the “scale and speed” of an outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where authorities have reported 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 suspected cases, the Associated Press reported.

Tedros said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” citing the emergence of cases in urban areas, the deaths of healthcare workers and significant population movement.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and said the response is expected to continue for months as resources are rushed to affected provinces near Uganda.

In Congo, 30 cases have been confirmed. Tedros said Uganda has reported two confirmed cases, including one death in the capital, Kampala, among people who had traveled from Congo.

The outbreak was first detected in Bunia, where health workers in protective gear were seen moving among residents. “I know the consequences of Ebola, I know what it’s like,” resident Noëla Lumo told the Associated Press.

The Bundibugyo strain has no approved medicines or vaccines. Congo is expecting shipments from the United States and Britain of an experimental vaccine developed by researchers at University of Oxford, according to virus expert Jean-Jacques Muyembe.

WHO officials said the Ervebo vaccine, approved for a different strain of Ebola, is also being considered, though any approved vaccine would take at least two months to become available.

Health authorities have not yet identified the index case, according to Dr. Anne Ancia, who leads the WHO team in Congo.

The outbreak response is being complicated by insecurity in eastern Congo, where some affected areas are controlled by armed groups.

Cases have been confirmed in Bunia; Goma; and the localities of Mongbwalu, Nyakunde and Butembo.

Among the confirmed cases is Dr Peter Stafford, an American physician working in Bunia, according to the Christian organisation Serge. Tedros said an American patient had been transferred to Germany for treatment.

Congolese officials said the outbreak worsened after initial tests for the more common Zaire strain of Ebola returned negative, delaying confirmation of the Bundibugyo strain.

The United States has provided $13 million for the response, according to the State Department. Aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF, are assisting local authorities.