DR Congo Ebola outbreak passes 1,700 deaths as WHO speeds up trials

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has passed 1,700 deaths, with health officials saying the epidemic is still expanding in the eastern province of Ituri. Latest government figures put the toll at 1,707 deaths from 3,802 recorded cases since the outbreak was declared on 15 May. The World Health Organization says trials of experimental treatments, preventive medicines and vaccines are now moving ahead faster than in previous outbreaks.

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Officials say Ituri accounts for nearly 90% of reported cases, making it the centre of the current response. WHO data show that more than 17,000 contacts are being monitored, with about 80% followed up each day. The agency says the outbreak is the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record and the fastest growing.

It also says the rare Bundibugyo strain is behind the outbreak, and that there are no approved vaccines or treatments for this variant. The scale of the outbreak has put pressure on health workers and response teams. WHO says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the outbreak began.

Health officials have also pointed to delays in contact tracing, violence by armed groups, attacks on health facilities, difficulty reaching affected communities and widespread mistrust as factors slowing the response. The outbreak has also spread beyond Ituri, with infections confirmed in five other provinces, including Kisangani. The situation matters because Ebola outbreaks can move quickly when tracing and isolation are disrupted, and because the Bundibugyo strain has fewer medical countermeasures available than some other Ebola variants.

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WHO officials say years of advance planning have helped researchers begin testing experimental medicines sooner than in earlier outbreaks. Vasee Moorthy, acting head of the WHO R&D Blueprint programme, said the preclinical data were promising, but stressed that only clinical trials can show whether the medicines and vaccines work. The response is now being shaped by both the public health emergency and the security situation in eastern Congo.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is due to arrive in Kinshasa before travelling to Bunia, near the centre of the outbreak. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya has also visited Bunia, and said it remained unclear when the outbreak would reach its peak. The outbreak was declared on 15 May, and officials say the current wave is the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

What remains unclear is how quickly the trials will produce usable results and whether the outbreak can be brought under control in the coming weeks. Health officials are still monitoring tens of thousands of contacts, and the spread into other provinces shows the challenge is no longer confined to one area. The next key indicators will be whether case growth slows, whether access improves in affected communities and whether the experimental measures show any benefit.

#Ebola #DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo #Ituri #WorldHealthOrganization #Bundibugyostrain

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