{"id":7767,"date":"2026-05-19T12:01:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7767"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:01:30","slug":"congo-reports-sharp-rise-in-ebola-cases-as-who-worries-about-outbreaks-scale-and-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7767","title":{"rendered":"Congo reports sharp rise in Ebola cases as WHO worries about outbreak\u2019s scale and speed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By The Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) \u2014 The World Health Organization director-general openly worried Tuesday over the \u201cscale and speed\u201d of an\u00a0outbreak\u00a0of a rare Ebola variant in eastern Congo, where authorities reported a sharp increase in suspected deaths \u2014 to at least 131 \u2014 and over 500 suspected cases.<\/p>\n

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The virus spread undetected for weeks after the first known death as authorities tested for a more common strain and came up negative, health experts and aid workers said. This Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant, has no approved medicines or vaccines.<\/p>\n

Congo\u2019s health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba said investigations were underway to determine whether the deaths and 513 suspected cases were \u201cactually linked to the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he is \u201cdeeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,\u201d adding the U.N. health agency will convene its emergency committee later Tuesday. He pointed to the emergence of cases in urban areas, the deaths of healthcare workers and significant population movement.<\/p>\n

The WHO says \u2018patient zero\u2019 has not yet been confirmed<\/h4>\n

The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak a\u00a0public health emergency\u00a0of international concern, requiring a coordinated response. Resources were being rushed to the two affected provinces near the border with Uganda, which has reported one death in a person who traveled from Congo.<\/p>\n

The head of the WHO team in Congo said authorities haven\u2019t identified \u201cpatient zero\u201d in the outbreak.<\/p>\n

Dr. Anne Ancia also said the Erbevo vaccine, used against a different Ebola strain, was among those being considered for possible use. But even if that or another is approved, it would take two months to become available.<\/p>\n

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Inside Congo, cases have been confirmed in the capital of Ituri province, Bunia; North Kivu\u2019s rebel-held capital, Goma; and the localities of Mongbwalu, Nyakunde and Butembo \u2014 home to well over a million people in all.<\/p>\n

Dr. Peter Stafford, an\u00a0American doctor\u00a0is among the Bunia cases, said the Christian organization he works for, Serge. He had been treating patients at a hospital. Three other Serge employees were working there, including Stafford\u2019s wife, but were not showing symptoms.<\/p>\n

False negative Ebola tests delayed the response<\/h4>\n

Congo has said the first person died from the virus on April 24 in Bunia, and the body was repatriated to the Mongbwalu health zone, a mining area with a large population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat caused the Ebola outbreak to escalate,\u201d said Kamba, the health minister.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

When another person fell ill on\u00a0April 26, samples were sent to Congo\u2019s capital, Kinshasa, for testing, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control. Bunia is more than 620 miles away in a country with some of the world\u2019s worst infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Samples from Bunia were initially tested for the more common type of Ebola, Zaire, Congolese officials said. They came back negative, said Dr. Richard Kitenge, the health ministry incident manager for Ebola, and local authorities assumed it was not the virus.<\/p>\n

Only laboratories in Kinshasa and Goma, which is now controlled by the M23 rebel group, have the capacity to test for the Bundibugyo virus. It was not clear what measures the\u00a0Rwanda-backed rebels\u00a0were taking in the outbreak.<\/p>\n

On May 5, the WHO was alerted of about 50 deaths in Mongbwalu, including four health workers. The first confirmation of Ebola came on May 14.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur surveillance system didn\u2019t work,\u201d said Jean-Jaques Muyembe, a virologist at the National Institute of Bio-Medical Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bunia laboratory \u2026 should have continued searching and sent the samples to the national laboratory. Something went wrong there. That\u2019s why we ended up in this catastrophic situation,\u201d he said, and asserted that members of parliament and senators were aware \u201cthere were deaths and nothing was being said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew M. Kavanagh, director of the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, criticized the Trump administration\u2019s earlier decision to withdraw from the WHO and make\u00a0deep cuts in foreign aid\u00a0\u2014 \u201cthe exact surveillance system meant to catch these viruses early,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department pushed aside criticism on Monday, saying it sprang into action immediately and has provided $13 million in assistance for the response.<\/p>\n