The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a “public health emergency of international concern ” over the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
This outbreak is being caused by a rarer strain of Ebola called Bundibugyo virus disease, which to date does not have a specific vaccine or treatments.
What is Bundibugyo virus disease?
Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) is one of the four species of orthoebolaviruse which causes Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever.
Bundibugyo is a less commonly encountered strain of Ebola, compared to the Zaire ebolavirus, and has caused just two previous outbreaks.
It was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-2008 outbreak that infected 149 people and killed 37 people. The second time was in 2012 in an outbreak in Isiro, Congo, where 57 cases and 29 deaths were reported.
The fatality rate is estimated to be between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.
As with other Ebola viruses, it is spread by contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is infected with or has died from BVD. It is also spread by contact with contaminated objects (such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment), or by contact with animals, such as bats and nonhuman primates, that are infected with BVD.
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising (a late stage of illness).
There is no known vaccine or specific therapeutics against Bundibugyo virus, though early supportive care is lifesaving, according to the WHO.
How many cases have been recorded?
Officials first announced the spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, reporting 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases.
On Saturday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths
Uganda on Saturday confirmed one case that it said was imported from DR Congo.
Officials said that the patient died at a hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and the WHO said that a second case has been reported in Kampala.
The two cases had no apparent links to each other, and both patients had traveled from DR Congo, it added.
What does the WHO’s declaration mean?
According to Dr Amanda Rojek, associate professor of health emergencies, Pandemic Sciences Institute for the University of Oxford, the declaration by WHO does not change the reality on the ground but does signal that international authorities need to pay attention and support the response.
She said: “It does not mean the outbreak is globally uncontrollable, but it does reflect that the situation is complex enough to require international coordination. There are already major challenges to controlling this outbreak. Some cases are in remote regions that are difficult for healthcare teams to access safely, while cases in capital cities create different risks. The simultaneous activity in DR Congo and Uganda also increases the importance of cross-border coordination and preparedness.”
She said work is now underway to determine which experimental treatments and vaccines should be prioritised for testing for this virus.
Professor Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Health Research for the University of Oxford, said the outbreak meets the criteria for an emergency of international concern because of various factors, including the potential for cross-border spread, the operational challenges affecting detection and response, and the need for coordinated international support.
She said many of the same public health teams and healthcare teams needed to respond to this outbreak are also continuing to manage the ongoing mpox outbreak.
She warned: “These overlapping outbreaks highlight the extraordinary challenges faced by teams working in these communities and border towns, where population movement, insecurity and competing health priorities can make outbreak detection, containment and continuity of response especially difficult.”
