In a development that will surprise absolutely no one who has been paying attention, the World Health Organization (WHO) has admitted that the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is, once again, winning. The outbreak, which began at least three months before it was officially declared on 15 May, has already claimed 1,960 lives out of 4,294 confirmed cases, making it the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded. WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi summed up the situation with the kind of grim honesty that usually precedes a major policy overhaul: "We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us."

Speaking in Bunia, the city at the heart of the outbreak, Janabi explained that the virus has been spreading since February, but was initially misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid. Because of this, health workers are only reaching about 30% of cases, with the rest dying at home. Insecurity in the eastern part of the country hasn't helped, nor have traditional burial practices that involve touching the deceased, nor a general suspicion of health authorities in some communities. It's almost as if the virus has been reading the playbook on how to be maximally difficult.

But it's not all doom and gloom. There are now several dedicated treatment centres in the east, and people are getting diagnosed much more quickly. The only problem is that the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is responsible for this outbreak, has no approved vaccine and no recognised therapeutic drugs. So, while they may be diagnosing faster, they're still not entirely sure what to do about it.

The largest Ebola outbreak on record, which hit West Africa between 2014 and 2016, killed 11,325 people. This one is on track to give it a run for its money, unless the WHO can somehow get ahead of the virus. But given that they're starting from behind, and the virus has a head start, we're not betting on it.