Ebola outbreak in DR Congo spreading faster than any previous outbreak
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at an unprecedented pace and could surpass the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic if the current trajectory continues, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Wednesday.
The outbreak is already the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, with 4,449 confirmed cases and 2,061 deaths reported across five provinces and 53 health zones, Tedros said at a WHO briefing in Geneva, Anadolu Agency reported.
“On track to eclipse” the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, Tedros said, warning that the outbreak is spreading faster than any previous Ebola epidemic.
The situation is particularly severe in Ituri province, which accounts for about 90% of reported cases and 80% of deaths.
Sustained transmission has been reported in Bunia, Rwampara, Nizi and Lita, raising concerns that the virus is continuing to spread through communities.
A major concern for health officials is that many deaths are occurring outside treatment centres and among people who were not identified as contacts of known patients.
That pattern suggests there are still unidentified chains of transmission, making it harder for health authorities to track and contain the virus.
The WHO and its partners are expanding surveillance and working to increase the proportion of contacts being successfully traced from roughly 80% to 95%.
Treatment capacity is also expected to expand sharply, with the number of available beds projected to triple to 3,000 within 12 weeks.
More than 21,000 community health workers have already been trained as part of the response, while 886 patients have recovered, according to Tedros.
The response is taking place despite the absence of specific approved therapeutics and vaccines for the strain involved.
Tedros said two vaccines specifically designed against the Bundibugyo virus have entered Phase 1 human safety trials, offering a potential new tool against the outbreak if the candidates prove safe and effective.
Funding remains another major challenge.
Of the $518 million required under the Continental Preparedness and Response Plan, approximately $264 million has been disbursed, Tedros said.
WHO’s Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said it remains impossible to establish precisely when the outbreak began. Current estimates suggest transmission may have started two to three months before the outbreak was officially declared.
The delay highlights the difficulty of detecting transmission in communities before cases reach formal health facilities.
“At the moment, the message is very clear: we are not where we need to be,” Ihekweazu said, calling for intensified efforts and greater involvement of local communities in the response.
The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa was the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, causing more than 28,000 reported cases and over 11,000 deaths, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
With transmission continuing across multiple areas of DR Congo, WHO officials are warning that the scale and speed of the current outbreak require an urgent expansion of surveillance, treatment and community-led containment efforts.
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