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WHO: Ebola Outbreak in Congo Started in February, Misattributed Cases Caused Delayed Response
Confirmed
In Short: The World Health Organization reports that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began in February, with early cases misattributed to malaria and typhoid, leading to a delayed response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo started in February, months before it was officially declared in mid-May. According to Mohamed Janabi, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, sequencing indicated the outbreak’s start, with some cases early on wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid.
Health teams in the DRC are facing significant challenges, including traveling on remote, unpaved roads and reporting shortages of protective gear. The vast population of displaced people struggles to find reliable water sources for washing hands hygienically. Confirmed cases have reached 4,200, with at least 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures.
The outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, with new cases doubling in some hotspots. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted this in a recent statement, emphasizing the need for scaled-up action in affected communities.
Experts from the United Nations’ health agency recommend a specific Bundibugyo vaccine for fighting the current outbreak. New data shows promising results for an experimental monoclonal antibody called MBP134, which could provide protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Earlier cases of the disease were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid, WHO said.
- The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record started in February, months before it was officially declared in mid-May, said the World Health Organization (WHO) as responders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)…
- Mohamed Janabi, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, told a news conference on Monday that sequencing indicated the outbreak’s start, with some cases early on wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid.
- Confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC have reached 4,200, including at least 1,900 deaths, according to latest government figures.
- Health teams travel on remote, unpaved roads and have reported shortages of protective gear, while the vast population of displaced people struggles to find reliable water sources for washing hands hygienically.
- Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ebola is spreading faster than efforts to fight it.
- New cases are doubling in some hotspots, Tedros said on X after meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa.
- While Ervebo has proven to be safe and effective against the more common Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, WHO experts said early data showed it may also give some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain.