Health
Rare Ebola’s Silent Spread in Congo Exposes Surveillance Gaps
Staff members at CBCA Virunga Hospital prepare rooms intended for possible suspected Ebola cases in Goma, on May 17.
Photographer: Jospin Mwisha/AFP/Getty Images
A rare Ebola outbreak that may have circulated undetected in northeastern Congo for several weeks is exposing the difficulty of detecting deadly viruses in regions where malaria, typhoid and other fever-causing illnesses are common and health systems are stretched thin.
About 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths have been reported in northeastern Congo, the country’s health minister Roger Kamba said on Sunday, while neighboring Uganda has confirmed two infections, including one death in Kampala.