Podcast summary
Ebola in DRC & Uganda: Risks, Treatment and Vaccines
Ebola control hinges on biology and mismeasurement
Ebola spreads via direct contact with bodily fluids after zoonotic spillover, but outbreak management is constrained because key tools (vaccines/tests/drugs) are mostly Zaire-specific and case counts are often underreported early.
Strain divergence breaks Zaire-only tools
Different Ebola species differ ~25–35% genetically, so Zaire-targeted antibodies and envelope-protein tests may fail against Budimbuyo/other strains, letting real outbreaks grow unnoticed without strain-tailored diagnostics and vaccines.
Delayed detection can inflate epidemic growth estimates
Reported caseload can lag true infections by up to ~fivefold early because confirmed cases require symptoms, presentation, and testing; faster data capture than transmission further distorts estimates.
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