Global health officials are raising alarms about an outbreak of a rare species of Ebola virus spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The World Health Organization said it suspects the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus, a form of Ebola, has caused over 500 infections, including over 130 deaths.
There have only been two previously documented outbreaks of this species of the virus. Because it is so rare, scientists have had limited opportunities to study it.
What is the Bundibugyo virus? And how does it spread?
Bundibugyo virus, first identified in 2007, is one of six known species of Ebola viruses, which are primarily found in sub-Saharan Africa. Four of these species are known to cause illness in humans.
Bundibugyo appears to spread like other types of Ebola: through direct contact with the bodily fluids (such as blood, vomit, feces and saliva) of someone who is infected.
The virus does not spread through particles that linger in the air. Infected fluid must directly enter the body through a mucus membrane, like the eyes, nose or mouth, or through a tear in the skin. The virus commonly spreads in health care settings.
What are the symptoms?
Bundibugyo seems to present with symptoms similar to those in other forms of Ebola. Early symptoms include a sudden high fever, intense headache, fatigue, muscle pain and a sore throat. (These mirror the symptoms of a severe flu or malaria, which can make it challenging for doctors to diagnose Ebola quickly.)
Days later, people typically experience heavy diarrhea and vomiting. Less commonly, patients can develop bleeding, including from the gums and nose. The effects of the virus on the central nervous system can also cause some patients to feel irritable and confused.
It typically takes about a week for people to become ill after they are exposed to the virus, said Robert Garry, a professor at the Tulane School of Medicine who helped respond to and study the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. It can take as few as two days and as many as 21 for people to feel ill, though, he said.
Even after someone recovers from Ebola, the virus can remain in certain “sanctuary sites” in the body, including the eyes or semen, for at least several months, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who has studied Ebola outbreaks. This means people can still transmit the virus to others in some cases. (It is not clear how frequently this occurs.)
How deadly is Bundibugyo?
The W.H.O. has estimated that the two previous known outbreaks of Bundibugyo killed around 30 to 50 percent of people infected. This is a lower mortality rate than other Ebola viruses, Dr. Adalja said. But there have not been enough outbreaks to definitively say whether that will be the case with this outbreak, he cautioned.
Broadly speaking, those who survive Ebola can have long-term complications, including vision and hearing loss, chronic joint pain, fatigue and neurological issues.
How do doctors test for and treat infections?
There are tests that can diagnose Bundibugyo, but they are less accessible than tests that screen for other species of the virus, Dr. Garry said.
There are vaccines and an antiviral drug available for the most common type of Ebola, the Zaire species. But there is not yet a vaccine against Bundibugyo, and there are no drugs that can directly treat the infection. To care for ill patients, doctors deliver fluids, oxygen and medications that can help manage symptoms as the body tries to fight the virus.
Dani Blum is a health reporter for The Times.
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