What Do We Know About the Bundibugyo Strain of the Ebola Virus?
Most cases are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and officials say standard tests missed early infections as no approved Bundibugyo vaccine exists.
- On Monday, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern following a rare Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
- Named after the Ugandan province where it was first identified in 2007, Bundibugyo is one of four ebolavirus species with a fatality rate between 30% and 40%.
- Dr. Matthew Kavanagh of the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Policy and Politics said initial standard tests failed to detect infections, causing "false negatives and lost weeks of response time."
- The Democratic Republic of Congo reported more than 100 suspected deaths and nearly 400 suspected infections as of Monday, with bodily fluid transmission posing risks to hospital workers.
- There are no approved vaccines or drugs for Bundibugyo, though candidates like Merck's Ervebo and Auro Vaccines' VesiculoVax showed control in non-human primate trials and require emergency authorization for deployment.
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The WHO chief announced the new statistics at a press conference in Geneva during the annual summit of member states. Ghebreyesus noted that the number of possible cases is likely to increase due to the length of time the virus circulated before the outbreak was detected. The head of the UN agency's statement came the day after Tuesday's urgent meeting of the WHO's emergency committee. According to Ghebreyesus, the committee confirmed that the c…
Several NGOs warn of the magnitude of the crisis, accentuated by the lack of vaccine for the virus strain and...
Africa: Fear Grips East Africa As Deadly Ebola Outbreak Surges, Death Toll Rises to 134
Communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda are on high alert following a deadly outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus that has already killed at least 134 people.
Should you worry about the Ebola outbreak? Here’s what the numbers tell us
An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is spreading fast and presents a high risk at a national and regional level, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
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