A deadly Ebola outbreak, which was officially declared in May, has resulted in more than 1,000 deaths across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday. Official data indicates that the DRC has recorded 2,473 confirmed cases of the virus, with 999 deaths. In neighbouring Uganda, 20 cases and two deaths have been registered.
The current crisis marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. It was declared on May 15 following a cluster of deaths in the Ituri province. The transmission remains concentrated in the nation's mineral-rich northeastern region, an area currently troubled by the presence of armed groups. Although the outbreak is centered in the northeast, cases have also been documented in four other provinces across the DRC.
Regarding the situation in Uganda, most of the recorded cases involved Congolese citizens who crossed the border. Ugandan authorities report that they have not registered any new cases of the virus for three weeks. Despite these developments, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently cautioned that the outbreak has expanded more rapidly over the past month than any previous instance of the virus.
Thierno Balde, the WHO's incident manager for the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC, noted on Tuesday that while the response effort has been intensified, officials are still struggling to contain the spread. Balde stated that the outbreak remains ahead of response efforts, leaving health teams in a phase of catching up. Currently, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for the specific Bundibugyo strain driving this outbreak. However, the WHO has noted encouraging progress, with clinical trials for a vaccine, two potential treatments, and post-exposure prophylaxis currently underway.
