The World Health Organization (WHO) previously issued a grave warning regarding the current Ebola surge, noting its « exceptional intensification » and urging a significant scale-up in the health response. Since the onset of this epidemic, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reported a total of 3,874 confirmed cases, leading to 1,751 fatalities. This ongoing crisis follows the nation’s deadliest Ebola outbreak, which claimed nearly 2,300 lives among 3,500 recorded cases between 2018 and 2020.
The organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, on Tuesday. He was scheduled to hold discussions with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday.
The head of the WHO had previously visited Ituri in the northeast during late May, a region identified as the epicenter of the current epidemic, accounting for almost 90% of all reported cases. This latest outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo variant, for which no effective vaccine or treatment is currently available. The disease is primarily affecting areas characterized by a tenuous state presence and severely underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure.
Speaking from Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic stated, « The epidemic regrettably continues to spread at a pace that overwhelms current response capabilities. » He emphasized the urgent need for « enhanced financial backing » and additional resources to bolster crucial areas such as « treatment capacities, field investigation teams, and safe burial teams. »
Ebola, a formidable disease transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and known for causing hemorrhagic fever, has tragically claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa in the past five decades. Over the last two months, the ongoing epidemic has expanded its reach across five provinces within the DRC: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo.
On Tuesday, Canada granted approval for the American pharmaceutical giant Moderna to commence clinical trials for a vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Furthermore, the vaccine identified by the WHO as « the most promising, » known as « rVSV Bundibugyo, » is also slated for development by Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories.
In late July, the first volunteer received an initial dose of a different Bundibugyo vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. This vaccine leverages technology similar to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. Concurrently, several initiatives are focused on rapidly testing potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, including the antiviral drugs Remdesivir and Obeldesivir, alongside a monoclonal antibody designated MBP134.
The DRC officially declared its 17th Ebola epidemic on May 15th, albeit several weeks after its initial detection, impacting its vast territory and population exceeding 100 million residents.
