Health workers simulate evacuation protocols using a manikin for deceased victims of Ebola during a training by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, on July 10, 2026. [AFP]
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have been underway for weeks before health authorities knew they were dealing with the virus, raising fresh questions about how much transmission can occur before an outbreak becomes visible. A study has revealed.
The possibility has emerged from epidemiological investigations into the current outbreak, which was formally declared on May 15 after laboratory confirmation in Ituri Province.
By then, however, investigators believe the virus may already have been circulating in communities.
A clinical review published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) says investigations indicate that transmission probably began several weeks before the outbreak was officially recognised, including possible transmission linked to people handling the bodies of deceased patients.
That distinction is critical in an Ebola outbreak. The date authorities announce an epidemic is rarely the same as the date the virus began spreading.