Ebola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials say
Summary
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has passed 4,000 cases and may be changing, according to health officials. The epidemic is very severe, spreading in conflict areas, and officials plan to search houses for new patients and increase use of vaccines and treatments.Key Facts
- The Ebola outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
- Over 4,000 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths have been recorded as of early August.
- This is the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, worse than the early weeks of the 2014-18 West Africa outbreak.
- Many infected people are not tracked because of poor contact tracing and many deaths happen outside treatment centers.
- The outbreak mainly affects Ituri province but has spread to four other provinces and nearby Uganda.
- Africa CDC plans to switch from contact tracing to actively searching for Ebola cases by visiting homes door to door.
- Officials plan to use the antiviral drug remdesivir and test a vaccine called Ervebo on the affected strain.
- The outbreak is disrupting healthcare services, lowering vaccination rates for other diseases like measles.
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