The WHO has raised the alarm over an outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola in eastern Congo. With 134 deaths and more than 500 suspected cases, the virus spread silently for weeks because teams were looking for the more common strain. The rate of contagion exceeds expectations.
Drones and portable PCR: the technology that didn't arrive in time 🚁
Rapid diagnostic systems like the GenExpert portable PCR can detect Ebola in 45 minutes. Additionally, sample delivery drones already operate in remote areas of Africa. However, in this outbreak they were not deployed in time. The Bundibugyo strain requires specific tests that were not in the initial kits. The lack of technological coordination cost weeks of delay.
The virus that camouflaged itself while they searched for its famous cousin 🦠
While health teams searched for the textbook Ebola, Bundibugyo took a few weeks of vacation in eastern Congo. Without making a sound, like that colleague who doesn't appear on the lists but always ends up in the photo. Now the WHO is chasing after it with the same effectiveness as a free antivirus against ransomware.