Ebola outbreak in DR Congo ‘out of control’, warns MSF

More than 2,500 people have ⁠died in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which is spreading “out of control”, Médecins Sans Frontières has warned.

Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic became the biggest in the country’s ‌history in terms of the ⁠number of cases in late July, surpassing the previous worst outbreak in 2018 to 2020.

It is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) Jacob Burns said the outbreak is “out of control”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said it is the “fastest moving Ebola epidemic that we’ve seen”.

“In the first 100 days of this outbreak, we saw so many cases… compared to the outbreak in West Africa, which was the biggest up until now, but that outbreak only had a quarter of the number of cases that we’re seeing in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.

Mr Burns said the outbreak is “moving very rapidly”, having spread across multiple parts of the DRC.

“It has spread to six provinces, including provinces that weren’t touched in the last big epidemic here in 2018 to 2020 and what we’re seeing is that the epidemic is unfortunately out of control,” he said.

Mr Burns said recent conflict in the country means it can be difficult to move into areas where transmission is ongoing and that, apart from Ebola, other viruses in the region, including malaria, are also causing serious problems.

He said much more resources need to be invested in a surveillance system to control the outbreak.

“There is a lot of fear for people; this was an area that was affected by the last epidemic and a lot of people died here, so people do have the memory of the death that the last epidemic caused”.

Yesterday, Pope Leo XIV called for international action to help contain ⁠the impact of the outbreak.

“In my prayers, I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in light of the spread ‌of the Ebola epidemic, which is sadly claiming many lives,” the ⁠pontiff said during Mass in Saint Peter’s ‌Square.

“I urge the ⁠international ‌community to respond in a way that also involves local communities in prevention efforts to save as many ⁠lives as possible,” he said.

More than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived in the DR of Congo on Friday night.

The vaccine, developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck, is approved against the Zaire strain of the virus, but not against the Bundibugyo strain.

World Health Organization experts still do not know whether Ervebo protects humans against the Bundibugyo strain, but early data, notably from animal trials, suggest it could offer some protection.

Additional reporting AFP/Reuters