Congo's Ebola Outbreak Tops 10,000 Cases as WHO Calls for Sustained Action
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, has surpassed 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths, making it the largest in the country's history. WHO is urging continued action as the crisis spans eight provinces and spreads to a neighbouring country.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached 10,141 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths, according to the latest figures from the Congolese Ministry of Health. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country's history and the largest ever recorded there, ranking as the second-largest globally after the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic. The disease, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which no approved vaccine or treatment yet exists, has expanded to eight provinces, including hard-to-reach areas in the volatile eastern region where conflict, hunger and widespread displacement hamper the response. WHO called the situation urgent, saying "sustained efforts are essential to end the outbreak" and stressing the need for scaled-up control measures, better access to affected areas, and community engagement. On the positive side, more than 2,600 people have recovered, and testing and treatment capacity have grown. Clinical vaccine trials known as TUMAINI — Swahili for "hope" — are now under way, initially assessing whether the Evebro vaccine, developed against the Zaire strain, can protect against Bundibugyo. The trials use a ring-vaccination approach targeting close contacts of confirmed patients, the same method used in Guinea during the West Africa outbreak. WHO's vaccine-trial lead, Dr. Meg Moherty, attended the TUMAINI launch in Bunia on Friday. In a related development, a UN humanitarian fund has allocated more than $2 million to strengthen Ebola preparedness in Kenya, which has recorded nine cases and two deaths — all linked to a single Kenyan man who worked in the DRC, flew to Nairobi via Uganda on 3 October, and died two days later. More than 130 contacts were placed under quarantine, and 20 have since been discharged.
