Ebola Detected in Goma: Please Pray

International news has been reporting widely for a few days now about a new Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo and Uganda. One case was announced yesterday in Goma, a woman who had apparently traveled to Goma from northeastern Congo, where a number of cases have been reported. This is a less common strain of Ebola, the Bundibugyo virus, and presents initially with symptoms similar to malaria, making it difficult to detect rapidly. There is no vaccine or antibody treatment available for this strain, and according to the CDC the death rate is  25-50%.

Because Goma is still under control of the M23 rebel group, a widespread Ebola outbreak would be devastating. The city does not coordinate with the government of DR Congo. Vulnerable refugees to the city are struggling with basic necessities and extra measures of sanitation and distancing are almost too much to ask. So far the M23 rebels are downplaying the seriousness of an outbreak.

Please pray that the disease will not spread further in Goma. Pray also for the Ituri region to the north of Goma, where the outbreak is much more widespread. Pray for peace in DR Congo and for a robust medical system that can heal many.

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A general article on the outbreak in Congo with brief mention of Goma is available as a gift article from NY Times. Some helpful articles with more information are paywalled, but readers with BBC or Bloomberg subscriptions can read more on how Goma specifically is being impacted.

(Thanks to NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Ft. Detrick, Maryland for the electron microscope image of the ebola virus.)