New research out of Winnipeg has found a way to make it easier and quicker to diagnose a deadly virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jason Kindrachuk, the University of Manitoba’s Canada research chair in emerging viruses, co-led a milestone study about an improved field-testing system for the detection of Bundibugyo—a rare and severe type of Ebola virus. Kindrachuk explained current testing systems fail to identify Bundibugyo, forcing health-care workers in active outbreak zones to fly patient samples across the country. Now, with this new portable field-testing system, results can be delivered in 65 minutes with 95 per cent accuracy. “For us, in really, I would say landmark time from the Congolese colleagues who worked on this were able to get [tests] elevated and then deployed out to different Ebola treatment centres and rural health clinics in the area so there is at least testing capacity in the regiom,” Kindrachuk said. Kindrachuk said confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surged to 3,300, adding that it’s the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak of all time. He added that looking at all the “compounding variables,” including conflict, resource limitations, and health-care access, it’s likely the situation will get worse before it gets better.
