Ebola: WHO says outbreak in DR Congo began three months earlier than reported

Bunia (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 10 Aug. (LaPresse/AP) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began in February, months before it was officially declared on 15 May. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Yakub Janabi, said at a press conference that genetic sequencing analysis had indicated the start of the outbreak. He added that some cases in the early stages of the outbreak had been mistakenly attributed to malaria and typhoid. “So we are chasing the virus, but the virus is one step ahead of us,” Janabi emphasised.