WHO Warns DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Continues to Spread
The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is continuing to expand.
At least 1,561 cases have been confirmed, with 506 deaths. More than 10,000 contacts are being monitored. Health officials said that the outbreak’s full scale remains unclear, with treatment centres overwhelmed and response efforts hampered by conflict, displacement and limited resources.
However, testing capacity has increased significantly through decentralised laboratories, and a clinical trial has begun to evaluate two potential treatments, MBP134 and remdesivir, for the Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved cure.
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The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could cost the continent up to $3.6 billion and threaten more than 300,000 jobs.
The UNDP’s Resident Representative, Damien Mama, said neighboring countries could face severe consequences – including border restrictions, transport delays, and interruptions to informal markets – which “could reduce
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![Laboratory technicians testing samples from suspected Bundibugyo virus disease cases in Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.]()
A clinical trial of two potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).
The first patient has been enrolled in the DR Congo, said World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The trial comes as the current outbreak, which began in May, has been declared a public health emergency. More than 1,400
A tent used to isolate Ebola patients is disinfected in Bunia, DR Congo.
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