The Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Congo Declared In May Began In January
Summary
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern." The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, an Ebola species for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. The highest number of cases have been reported in Congo's eastern Ituri province, bordering Uganda. Global health officials have expressed grave concern over the capacity to contain the outbreak in a region already facing a humanitarian crisis, with highly mobile populations displaced by conflict and economic factors. The outbreak is now the second-largest on record, with 3,802 confirmed cases and 1,707 deaths as of August 3. A field study by Jules Villa, Roger Buju, and Alain Alithum Bero counted more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and the outbreak's declaration. The study, conducted in Mongbwalu, found that 13 front-line health workers had died and the cemetery was managing as many as 20 burials in a day. The first dated death was a 50-year-old woman who died on January 25 after vomiting blood.
Key points
- The Bundibugyo virus outbreak is the second-largest on record, with 3,802 confirmed cases and 1,707 deaths as of August 3.
- A field study identified more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and the outbreak's declaration in Mongbwalu.
- 13 front-line health workers died during the outbreak, and the cemetery managed as many as 20 burials in a day.
- The outbreak is in Ituri province, bordering Uganda, in a region facing a humanitarian crisis.
- The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a
- public health emergency of international concern.
Timeline
The first dated death was a 50-year-old woman who died after vomiting blood.
The chief medical officer for Mongbwalu stated there was no epidemic, though unusual events were recorded.
The virus was reported to have circulated undetected for at least three weeks.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
The outbreak had 3,802 confirmed cases and 1,707 deaths.
“I think January is plausible ... because we don't have many sequences from Mongbwalu.”
Background
The Bundibugyo virus is one of several Orthoebolaviruses that can cause Ebola disease.
Why it matters
The outbreak is in a region already facing a humanitarian crisis, with highly mobile populations displaced by conflict and economic factors.
What's next
The lack of a licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo virus poses a significant challenge to containment efforts.