Ebola outbreak in DR Congo surges, cases climb to 3,553 with 1,558 deaths | Ukraine news

Cases have accelerated far faster than past epidemics, driven by a rare strain and conflict that blocks responders. The next weeks will test global coordination and vaccine efforts.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rapidly grew to the second-largest in world history: new cases are appearing in just a few weeks, whereas before it took years.

According to the World Health Organization, since mid-May there have been at least 3,553 confirmed cases and no fewer than 1,558 deaths.

• Confirmed cases: 3,553
• Deaths: 1,558

Compared with previous epidemics, this surpassing occurred in a little over two months, exceeding the total number of cases from another historic outbreak in the DRC, which lasted nearly two years (August 2018 – June 2020).

The first 1,000 cases were recorded within the first 40 days after the response was activated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; during the 2018 outbreak, reaching this threshold took almost 235 days – nearly six times longer.

Currently, the largest outbreak after this event remains the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which ended with over 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths.

The current outbreak is characterized by a combination of the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which vaccines and effective treatments are not widely available, as well as armed conflicts in the region that hinder rapid access for responders to affected communities.

“Despite the progress made, the outbreak in the DRC continues to outpace the response,”

– Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

“Intense transmission in Ituri province remains our top concern.”

– Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

About two-thirds of deaths occur among people who did not receive hospital care, which increases the risk of transmission in communities due to improper handling of bodies and burial practices.

For each confirmed case in urban areas, about 40 potential contacts are expected; for about 3,400 cases in the DRC, the contact list would need to include about 135,000 people for tracing, but currently fewer than 18,000 people are involved.

According to Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the African CDC, if this indicator is not mastered, the outbreak will not be stopped. “If we do not master this indicator, we will not stop this outbreak”, he added, emphasizing the need for full coordination and improved contact-tracing systems.

In the vast majority of deaths, they occurred in Ituri – a region with substantial infrastructure and large migratory flows, which complicate control of spread and create increased risk for the region and neighboring countries.

Twenty cases linked to this outbreak were reported in Uganda, and one in France; most were imported from the DRC. Uganda recently said that the country is officially Ebola-free after completing all response measures, but the WHO has not yet confirmed the official end of the 42-day period of heightened surveillance.

Globally, research into vaccines and therapies continues. A vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain has been developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India and has reached the clinical stage; the first dose was administered recently. It is based on the same technology as the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Trials of two antiviral approaches – MBP134 and remdesivir – are also ongoing in the DRC, with more than 41 patients enrolled.

“One of the key lessons from recent outbreaks is that science must go hand in hand with response, not after it,”

– Amanda Rojek

Compared with previous crises, the current outbreak presents more challenging conditions for delivering aid and ensuring safety. Yet scientists and international institutions continue to work on vaccines and medicines to reduce mortality and curb the spread of the virus, drawing on lessons from past epidemics and cutting-edge technologies.

Global response and coordination

Independent analytical reviews conclude that the U.S. response to the outbreak faced internal transformations in management and coordination: after the dissolution of the Agency for International Development, the role in global coordination shifts to the State Department, which could affect the speed and direction of international assistance depending on how the system evolves.

Estimates indicate that the risk of the virus spreading to the United States remains low given high-quality health systems and proper infection-control measures.

Within global efforts, vaccine and drug development continues, with emphasis on accelerating testing, strengthening cross-country coordination, and ensuring access to proven treatment methods to prevent a crisis of this scale from repeating.

Despite the alarming data, the world continues to respond appropriately, leveraging science and international cooperation to reduce the number of cases and deaths in the future.