Rare Ebola strain spreads in eastern Congo as health workers go unprotected

A rare Ebola strain has infected at least 51 people and left 139 suspected dead in eastern Congo, with nearly 600 suspected cases overwhelming hospitals whose workers report operating without adequate protective equipment, the Korea Times reported Wednesday.

The outbreak — Congo's 17th — involves the Bundibugyo strain, which went undetected for months before the first known death was announced. No vaccine targeting the variant will be available for six to nine months, raising fears of wider regional spread.

As of Wednesday, 51 cases were confirmed across Congo's Ituri and North Kivu provinces, with two additional infections confirmed in Uganda, according to the Korea Times. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that "the scale of the epidemic is much larger" than confirmed figures suggest, with nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths already recorded.

Investigators say the virus had been circulating for far longer than authorities realized. "Given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago," said Anaïs Legand, a technical officer in the WHO emergencies program, according to the Korea Times. Officials initially tested for a more common Ebola strain, delaying identification of the Bundibugyo variant by weeks.

Health facilities across the region are overwhelmed. A Doctors Without Borders team that attempted to place suspected patients found no available beds anywhere. "Every health facility they called said, 'We're full of suspect cases. We don't have any space.' This gives you a vision of how crazy it is right now," said Trish Newport, the group's emergency program manager, according to the Korea Times. At Mongbwalu General Hospital near the epicenter, medical director Dr. Richard Lokudu described his staff's situation in four words: "We have no protection."

The disease strikes with brutal speed. Botwine Swanze, a mother who lost her son, recounted his final hours to the Korea Times: "He told me his heart was hurting, and I thought it was his stomach. Then he started crying because of the pain in his stomach. After that, he started vomiting. Then he started bleeding and vomiting a lot."

Schools, churches and borders remain open in affected areas, and gold mining continues near Mongbwalu. Masks and disinfectants have grown scarce and expensive. "It's truly sad and painful because we've already been through a security crisis, and now Ebola is here too," said Justin Ndasi, a Bunia resident, according to the Korea Times. The United States has pledged $23 million toward the response.

No vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain will be ready for six to nine months, according to the Korea Times. Congo has now endured 17 Ebola outbreaks, but officials say the combination of armed conflict, a collapsing health system and years of underfunding make this episode particularly difficult to contain.