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Ebola: Bundibugyo outbreak declared a PHEIC
WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17 over an escalating Ebola outbreak centered in Ituri Province, DRC; the country's 17th recorded Ebola epidemic.
The causative agent is Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), first identified in Uganda in 2007. This is the critical distinction from recent outbreaks: there is no approved vaccine or therapeutic for BDBV. Existing vaccines (Ervebo) and monoclonal antibodies (Ebanga, Inmazeb) target the Zaire species and are not thought to be effective.
Scale and spread
The earliest suspected case was in a healthcare worker in Bunia who developed symptoms on April 24 and died three days later. The outbreak now spans 9 health zones in Ituri Province, with U.S. CDC reporting 675 suspected, probable and confirmed cases and 134 deaths, as of May 19. Case counts have grown very rapidly over the last few days, as health officials work to determine the true scope of the outbreak.
The outbreak has spread beyond Ituri: confirmed cases have appeared in Goma and Kinshasa, and 2 confirmed cases (1 death) in Uganda, travelers from DRC in Kampala with no apparent epidemiological link to each other. Both had a travel history to the affected area.