Lessons from the new outbreak

The outbreak underlines the need to protect global health in a hyperconnected world. Larger countries need to step up funding for global health agencies against the backdrop of the US reneging on its commitments

- Gautam Menon

What complicates the response is that there is no approved vaccine or therapeutic intervention for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.

(REUTERS)

In May 17, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern.

In May 17, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern. This is one level below a pandemic emergency, the highest level of alert, a term last applied by WHO to Covid-19.

As of May 20, 139 deaths and 600 suspected cases have been linked to the outbreak. This number could increase sharply over a 24-hour period. Cases have been confirmed in Kampala and in Kinshasa, the capitals of Uganda and the DRC, and the two countries’ largest cities respectively.

This, combined with large test positivity among samples as well as reports of clusters of cases in two DRC provinces, hint at a large number of undetected cases. This concern is supported by modeling.

What complicates the response is that there is no approved vaccine or therapeutic intervention for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, the pathogen behind the current outbreak. The GeneXpert test, developed for the Zaire species of Ebola, cannot detect the Bundibugyo species. The outbreak appears to have gone undetected for a crucial initial period.