DRC Traces 676-Case Ebola Outbreak to Funeral of 80 Mourners as Death Toll Reaches 136
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 12
DRC Traces 676-Case Ebola Outbreak to Funeral of 80 Mourners as Death Toll Reaches 136
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 12
Summary
Investigators in Congo are working backward to find patient zero and have identified a Feb. 4 funeral in Mongbwalu as a possible early superspreader event in the Ebola outbreak.
More than 80 people attended the burial of a 44-year-old pastor who was never tested for Ebola, and nearly 50 deaths were recorded in the town within two weeks, many with fever, vomiting and bleeding.
The DRC has reported 676 confirmed cases, 136 deaths and 119 suspected cases as of June 11, while neighboring Uganda has 19 confirmed cases and two deaths.
CDC modeling says the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak, declared May 15 after likely spreading quietly for months, could rival the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic without rapid contact tracing and case isolation.