Congo's fast-moving Ebola outbreak started month before it was declared, WHO says

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — At least 2,000 people have died in Congo's Ebola outbreak, the swiftest-growing on record, according to the most recent information, as rebel conflict, poor roads and wage-related work stoppages complicate the emergency response in a remote region. Government data published recently revealed the outbreak has 4,381 confirmed cases, with 2,011 fatalities.

The death toll was reached nearly three times faster than during the 2014-16 West African Ebola outbreak, which was the most severe on record. The current outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities say sequencing indicates it began months earlier in February. The crisis is progressing faster than efforts to track and manage it.

In eastern Congo's Ituri province, friends and family gathered in tears for the burial of Jeannine Katusabe, 38, one of the latest victims. Christophe Logo, a family representative, said Katusabe initially sought traditional treatment at home before going to the local Ebola treatment center when her condition worsened. "Unfortunately, she did not recover," he stated.

Identifying cases early is nearly impossible. This outbreak is the second-largest in history, surpassed only by the 2014-2016 outbreak's 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. The current outbreak spans five eastern provinces near South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda, and has a case fatality rate of 45.9%, higher than the 39.6% rate during the 2014-2016 outbreak.

The Bundibugyo virus causing this outbreak has no approved vaccines or treatments, and clinical trials for those are underway in Ituri province. Despite being the deadliest Ebola type, government data indicates this outbreak has claimed a higher percentage of lives due to delayed care and support. Many people are reporting symptoms late or not at all.

"In the absence of an effective vaccine, controlling the outbreak relies on identifying cases and nursing them in secure facilities until they recover or sadly die," said Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. In a remote area with ongoing conflict and disrupted communication, routine surveillance is challenging, and identifying cases early enough to prevent spread may be impossible, Hunter explained.

Authorities in eastern Congo have restricted public gatherings and closed the main airport in Ituri to curb the disease's spread. However, mass movements due to trade, mining, and conflict-related displacements have continued. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Monday that some early cases in the outbreak were incorrectly attributed to malaria and typhoid, and that initial testing focused on the more common type of Ebola, delaying the realization of the situation.

Authorities are "chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us," said WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi. The new death toll is "alarming," according to Dr. Jean-Marie Akandabo, who assists in managing patients at a clinic in Ituri. Akandabo highlighted limited patient care and poor community engagement as major challenges.

Some residents have reported widespread misinformation about the virus in communities that have long been wary of outsiders due to years of attacks by rebel groups. "We must not take this disease lightly, because it continues to kill and no one is safe," Akandabo emphasized. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak and the largest one faced by the Central African nation. The first identified Ebola virus was in 1976 near the Ebola River in present-day Congo.