The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alarm over the rapid escalation of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), describing its spread as «exceptionally alarming». Since the epidemic began, health authorities have recorded 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 fatalities. This marks one of the deadliest outbreaks in recent history, with nearly 2,300 deaths and 3,500 infections reported between 2018 and 2020.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, on Tuesday, where he was scheduled to meet with President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday. The visit follows his late-May trip to Ituri, a northeastern province and the current epicenter of the outbreak, where nearly 90% of cases have been identified. The surge is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. The epidemic is raging in regions with weak state presence and severely under-resourced healthcare systems.
«The outbreak continues to spread at a pace that far exceeds our response capabilities,» warned a WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jasarevic, during a press briefing in Geneva. The organization has urgently called for increased financial support and resources to bolster treatment facilities, field investigation teams, and safe burial practices.
Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, has claimed the lives of over 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades. The current outbreak has now spread across five provinces in the DRC, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo.
On Tuesday, Canada granted authorization to U.S. pharmaceutical giant Moderna to initiate clinical trials for a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain. The candidate, deemed «the most promising» by the WHO and referred to as «rVSV Bundibugyo», will also be developed by Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories.
Earlier in July, a volunteer received the first dose of another experimental vaccine against Bundibugyo, developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. This vaccine employs the same technology as the AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot. Multiple initiatives are also underway to expedite testing of treatments for the strain, including antiviral drugs like remdesivir and obeldesivir, as well as the monoclonal antibody MBP134.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, weeks after the first cases were detected, amid a population of over 100 million people.
