Ebola: Over 2,000 dead in DR Congo as virus gathers pace

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: Death toll surpasses 2,000 as virus accelerates

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed more than 2,000 people, with health authorities reporting over 5,000 confirmed cases. The outbreak, declared on May 15, is the country's 17th and has become its deadliest on record, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic that killed 2,299 people, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures.

The latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 2,378 deaths out of 5,021 confirmed cases as of Wednesday. The WHO has designated the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Tuesday that "the epidemic is far from being under control" and that "the risk of further national and international spread remains high."

A virus outpacing containment

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rarer variant for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. The WHO reported that the case fatality rate has climbed from about 20 percent in early June to nearly 48 percent, meaning almost one in two infected people are dying. This exceeds the 45.9 percent fatality rate reported by Deutsche Welle, which also noted that the current outbreak is spreading faster than the 2014-2016 West African epidemic that caused 28,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths.

The WHO said in a statement on X that the outbreak was "intensifying, with sustained transmission and continued increases in reported cases and deaths," and that the past week saw a record 567 cases and 296 deaths, underscoring "the exceptional pace of transmission." Health authorities say the first transmissions likely occurred in February or earlier, with the 1,000-death mark reached nine weeks in and doubling within three weeks.

DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said "We haven't reached the peak yet" and expressed hope of bringing the spread under control within three months. However, the WHO's regional director told reporters that authorities are "chasing the virus... the virus is ahead of us."

Challenges: conflict, displacement, and mistrust

The response has been hampered by a volatile security situation in the affected provinces. The centre of the outbreak is Ituri province in the northeast, bordering South Sudan and Uganda, but it has spread to North and South Kivu provinces, where large areas are controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, as reported by the BBC. The WHO highlighted "the convergence of insecurity, population displacement and mobility, and cross-border movements" as complicating response operations and increasing the risk of further geographical spread.

Authorities have faced massive logistics challenges, including bad roads, rebel violence, lack of healthcare worker pay, and mass strikes, according to Deutsche Welle. The response has also been criticized for its slowness and poor organization, and is hampered by mistrust among the population. The Africa CDC stated that "difficulties persist, including refusals of testing and resistance in some communities, which hinders surveillance and control activities."

Around 160 health workers have been infected and about 45 have died, according to the WHO. Contact tracing has improved from 30 percent in June to more than 85 percent, but Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, warned that fewer new cases could be traced back to contacts, with researchers falling below the WHO's target of tracking 95 percent of potential contacts.

Response and international aid

The WHO has pledged 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is licensed for Ebola but not for the Bundibugyo strain. On Friday, the WHO recommended undertaking a full-scale human trial of Ervebo for this strain, and Gavi has made some 500,000 doses available for the trial. Clinical trials for two antiviral treatments have been ongoing since early July. Vaccines against the Bundibugyo strain are also being developed in the UK and Singapore, the BBC reported.

Virologists from Congo, Uganda, Belgium and other countries published findings in Nature Medicine on Monday suggesting the outbreak began with an animal-to-human transmission event and then spread between people. Researchers are also investigating the possibility of pathogen mutation.

The European Union announced on Tuesday it was sending testing kits worth 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million). The WHO has said efforts to ramp up the response and reach communities were under way.

Ebola, which spreads through physical contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The WHO rates the risk to the global public as low but very high inside the DRC, and Uganda and several health zones in Ituri and South Kivu have interrupted transmission, according to Al Jazeera.