Ebola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials say

Health officials are expressing growing concern that the Ebola virus behind the massive outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be mutating. This fear comes as the number of confirmed cases has now exceeded 4,000, positioning the current outbreak as the second-largest on record.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced plans to significantly scale up the response. This intensified effort will involve community health workers going "door to door" to actively search for patients exhibiting Ebola symptoms. The urgency stems from insufficient contact tracing, with only about 10 contacts identified per patient, far below the expected 40.

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Because the level of severity of this Bundibugyo outbreak is unprecedented.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, stated that discussions with the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general are underway to conduct studies examining potential mutations. The severity of the current Bundibugyo strain outbreak is described as unprecedented. The majority of deaths are occurring within communities, not treatment centers, further indicating widespread, untracked transmission.

This outbreak has already recorded 3,973 cases and 1,801 deaths as of August 4. For comparison, it has eight times more cases and six times more deaths than were recorded 11 weeks into the West Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-18. Response teams are shifting focus from contact tracing to active case finding, aiming for a "village-centered response" that integrates community involvement and digital tools.

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I think the time for incremental action is over and we’re starting now the phase for scaling up.