Seven years after the declaration of the first epidemic of Ebola virus disease in Guinea, the country faced a new outbreak—between 14 February and 19 June 2021—near the epicentre of the previous epidemic1,2. Here we use next-generation sequencing to generate complete or near-complete genomes of Zaire ebolavirus from samples obtained from 12 different patients. These genomes form a well-supported phylogenetic cluster with genomes from the previous outbreak, which indicates that the new outbreak was not the result of a new spillover event from an animal reservoir. The 2021 lineage shows considerably lower divergence than would be expected during sustained human-to-human transmission, which suggests a persistent infection with reduced replication or a period of latency. The resurgence of Zaire ebolavirus from humans five years after the end of the previous outbreak of Ebola virus disease reinforces the need for long-term medical and social care for patients who survive the disease, to reduce the risk of re-emergence and to prevent further stigmatization.
CITATION STYLE
Keita, A. K., Koundouno, F. R., Faye, M., Düx, A., Hinzmann, J., Diallo, H., … Magassouba, N. F. (2021). Resurgence of Ebola virus in 2021 in Guinea suggests a new paradigm for outbreaks. Nature, 597(7877), 539–543. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03901-9
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