An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed dozens and spread beyond the country’s borders, with Jean-Jacques Muyembe – the Congolese scientist who co-discovered the virus nearly 50 years ago – telling RFI that health authorities may have detected the epidemic too late and still do not know how far it has spread.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has already spread into neighbouring Uganda and prompted the World Health Organization to declare a “public health emergency of international concern” on Sunday.
Health officials say there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the strain, while aid agencies warn that conflict, displacement and weak infrastructure are making it harder to trace contacts and isolate cases.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths over the weekend, although only a small number of cases have so far been confirmed through laboratory testing.
'Uncertainties'
The WHO has warned there are still “significant uncertainties” about the true number of infections and how widely the virus may have spread. A case has also been reported in the eastern city of Goma, according to M23 rebels who control the city.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has described the spread of the outbreak as “extremely concerning” and said it is preparing a large-scale response.
Emergency stocks of protective equipment had already been depleted in Kinshasa, with additional supplies being flown in from Kenya, the WHO said.
Meanwhile the International Rescue Committee warned that cuts in international donor funding had weakened disease surveillance in the region.
New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: What we know
Armed conflict
The outbreak began in northeastern DR Congo near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan, in a region long affected by armed conflict and population displacement.
Health officials say the delayed detection of the outbreak may have allowed the virus to spread more widely before emergency teams were deployed.
WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation first learned of suspected cases on 5 May, but laboratory confirmation only came nin days later.
The latest outbreak is the 17th recorded in DR Congo.
During the deadly 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic in the east of the country, health workers and treatment centres were repeatedly attacked by armed groups, while aid agencies struggled to gain the trust of local communities.
Muyembe, who now heads Kinshasa’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), played a central role in managing that outbreak. He said local staff would again be essential because communities in affected areas were often suspicious of outsiders arriving from the capital, Kinshasa.
How do you manage an Ebola outbreak in a region controlled by armed groups and affected by conflict?
Jean-Jacques Muyembe: We had this experience between 2018 and 2020, when we managed the outbreak in Mangina, Beni and Butembo. It was an enormous challenge – the greatest challenge of my life, working in an area filled with armed groups. But we always managed to find solutions so the work could continue under the best possible conditions.
During the outbreak in Beni and Mangina, we lost a WHO doctor who was killed. We also lost a nurse in Biakato after armed groups attacked the dormitory where our staff were sleeping in the middle of the night. Many people were killed or injured. It is extremely dangerous.
When I travelled there myself, I used an armoured vehicle because the road between Beni and Butembo was the most dangerous road in the world. You needed either an armoured vehicle or helicopters equipped with machine guns. That was during the Monusco period. Now I do not know how we will manage, but I think the minister will give instructions to use local staff.
Instead of bringing people from Kinshasa, where logistics are very complicated, it is better to work with local personnel so that communities trust us. Even we, coming from Kinshasa, were called foreigners.
So I changed strategy and recruited local young people and local staff to build trust with the population and work together with confidence.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC a health emergency 'of international concern'
RFI: There are concerns the outbreak could spread to Kinshasa because of air links with Bunia. A suspected case was reported there earlier in the outbreak. How worried are you about the risk of transmission to the capital?
JJM: The person who came from Bunia had travelled there for his father’s funeral. When news of the outbreak began to spread, he came voluntarily to the INRB to be tested. The test was negative. He remains under observation.
RFI: Given the spread of the outbreak and what is already known, what urgent action is needed to limit its progression?
JJM: Frankly, at this point nobody can give a figure. Nobody has a grip on the numbers. We cannot say how many cases there are, how many contacts, or how many deaths from Ebola. The teams are still working on it.
We are going to draw up a full list of all suspected cases and trace whether there are links between them. Then we will know exactly what the scale of the problem is. But right now there is panic because people are saying this is a new strain. In fact, it is not that new and it is not the deadliest strain.
International organisations need to avoid jumping to conclusions and wait for the first investigations to establish exactly when the outbreak began, how many cases there are and who the contacts are. Then we will begin to understand the true scale of the outbreak.
RFI: Despite the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak, you still believe it can be brought under control. What gives you confidence?
JJM: We have experience. We have faced this before. It will take time, but we will win.
This interview has been adapted from the original version in French and edited for clarity
