Health officials are raising alarms that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may be mutating as cases continue to surge. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo variant, has already claimed over 1,800 lives, with more than 4,000 cases logged as of August 5, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
Unprecedented severity sparks mutation fears
Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said plans were discussed for studies to check 'if there is no additional issue, or maybe if the virus is not mutating.' He described the severity of the Bundibugyo outbreak as 'unprecedented.'
The Africa CDC is now calling for a ramped-up response, including door-to-door searches for possible cases. This marks a shift from 'contact tracing to active case search,' according to the agency's Dr Wessam Mankoula.
Untracked transmissions and insufficient tracing
With the majority of deaths in Ituri occurring outside medical facilities, officials suspect many transmissions are untracked. Contact tracing has been insufficient, with only around 10 contacts identified per Ebola patient, far below the expected 40.
The outbreak was declared in mid-May, but it may have been present since January. Efforts to control it have been complicated by ongoing conflict and a high number of displaced people in the region.
No vaccine yet, but hope from existing jab
There is no vaccine yet for the Bundibugyo strain, but experts are hopeful that a different Ebola vaccine could lessen the disease and curb deaths, based on positive data.
Uganda has recorded 20 cases and two confirmed deaths linked to the outbreak before bringing it under control. France saw its first-ever confirmed Ebola case in June when a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in the DRC was admitted to a specialist facility. The UK has not recorded any cases in this outbreak, though a case linked to the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak was reported in 2015.
