Robbie Corey-Boulet

Of all the coverage I have seen on the #Ebola outbreak in DR Congo thus far, this Reuters piece is the most informative on what actually went wrong here. 1/ The initial cases were being tested in Bunia (capital of Ituri district)- the hospital there only had diagnostics specific for the Zaire species of Ebola (what usually has caused outbreaks in DRC). The Bunia laboratory lacked genetic sequencing capacity to identify species other than Zaire. Only laboratories in Kinshasa (flight of 2.5 to 3 hours) or Goma (under rebel control) could have helped sequence this. 2/ After the initial tests came back negative in Bunia, these were not escalated further for testing. They were also transported at the wrong temperatures and in the wrong quantities. They also cite lack of PPE, which was previously provided by donors. @jriggers @Ange_kason @jaketapper @IAmAmnaNawaz