Ebola outbreak in Congo linked to over 130 deaths, cases expected to rise further: WHO

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been linked to more than 130 deaths, likely began nearly two months ago and is expected to keep spreading, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus for which no vaccine exists, was officially declared last Friday. Health experts have expressed concern over the prolonged undetected spread of the disease in a densely populated region, complicating efforts to trace and isolate contacts of infected people.

Earlier, the WHO had highlighted a “critical four-week detection gap” between the onset of symptoms in the first known patient and the laboratory confirmation of the outbreak.

WHO technical officer for viral threats, Anais Legand, said investigations were underway to determine the exact origin and timeline of the outbreak, but initial assessments suggest it may have started a couple of months ago.

Although Congo has dealt with 16 previous Ebola outbreaks, frontline responders say they are struggling with shortages of essential supplies such as painkillers, face masks and motorcycles needed for contact tracing, hampering efforts to contain the virus.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths have been reported so far. Laboratory testing has confirmed 51 cases in Congo and two additional cases in neighbouring Uganda.

Tedros said a WHO Emergency Committee met on Tuesday and classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, though not a pandemic emergency.

He noted that he had declared the emergency over the weekend without first consulting experts because of the urgency of the situation.

According to the WHO, the risk posed by the outbreak remains high at the national and regional levels, while the global risk is currently considered low.