Ebola testing stalled in three Congo labs due to shortages - WHO

LONDON — Three laboratories in the Democratic Republic of Congo have run out of supplies needed to test for Ebola as the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain continues to expand, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

In its latest situation report dated June 7 and released on Tuesday, the WHO said laboratories in Bukavu and Lwiro in South Kivu province, as well as Goma in North Kivu, had depleted their stocks of testing materials. The agency said the facilities were waiting for the delivery of reagents — substances required to conduct diagnostic tests — in order to process a backlog of samples.

The WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how many samples were awaiting testing or whether new supplies had arrived since the report’s data cutoff.

TRUST AND RESPONSE CHALLENGES

The Congolese government reported on Tuesday evening that there have been nearly 600 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 115 deaths linked to the outbreak. In neighboring Uganda, 19 cases and two deaths have also been reported in connection with the epidemic, which the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern.

Initial testing efforts moved slowly because widely available Ebola diagnostics were not designed to detect the Bundibugyo strain. Testing has since expanded, led by experts at the National Biomedical Research Institute in Kinshasa, although authorities continue to face challenges in accessing affected areas due to insecurity and ongoing armed conflict in the hardest-hit provinces.

Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of the institute, said testing capacity has improved significantly, with more regional laboratories now able to provide results on the same day.

However, during an online briefing on Wednesday, he said other aspects of the response were lagging, particularly efforts to engage and build trust with affected communities — a critical component of outbreak control based on lessons from previous Ebola epidemics in the country.

“At the moment, I am a bit disappointed because I don’t see in practice these experiences on the ground,” Muyembe said. “It seems we have to learn again how to involve the community in this outbreak.” -Reporting by Jennifer RigbyEditing by Peter Graff/Reuters