Abdi Mahmoud

For about a month before the current Ebola outbreak was declared, tests kept turning up negative.

It turned out the most common testing machine couldn't detect the species of Ebola that was spreading, called Bundabujo.

That delay allowed the virus to spread undetected.

Abdi Mahmoud, director of health emergency alert and response at the World Health Organization, says the situation is somewhat different now.

In part, that's because of the arrival of a testing machine that can detect Bundabujo.

It's currently in use across seven labs where Ebola is spreading.

But Mahmoud worries that if cases continue to climb, there may not be enough testing machines to meet demand.

Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

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