Ebola in DR Congo passes 10,000 cases as the WHO calls for sustained efforts

Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have passed 10,000, a threshold that makes the outbreak the largest the country has recorded. Data from the Congolese Ministry of Health show 10,141 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths as of Monday 26 October, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which says “sustained efforts are essential to end the outbreak”.

Second largest Ebola outbreak on record

As reported by UN News, this is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s history and the second largest in the world after the West Africa epidemic of 2014-2016. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment. The outbreak began in the volatile east of the country, where conflict, hunger and displacement complicate the response, and it has now spread to eight provinces, some of them hard to reach.

The WHO says that controlling it requires a continued scale-up of key control measures, greater access to affected areas, and community outreach that builds trust and encourages people to take part in the response. Our earlier report, Ebola in DR Congo reaches 9,765 cases and 4,727 deaths as the WHO warns against easing the response, covered the preceding figures.

Signs of progress and a vaccine trial

The WHO also points to progress: more than 2,600 people have recovered, and testing and treatment capacity has expanded. Clinical trials of candidate vaccines are under way. The TUMAINI trials, named after the Swahili word for “hope”, were launched in Bunia on Friday and will first assess whether Ervebo, the vaccine used against the Zaire strain of Ebola, protects against the current strain. Vaccine is given by ring vaccination, in which close contacts of confirmed patients are immunised.

The WHO recalled that the same approach was used in Guinea during the West Africa outbreak to help establish the efficacy of Ervebo. The agency has also convened expert groups to evaluate evidence on two other vaccines designed specifically for Bundibugyo virus, with their findings expected to be published this week.

Kenya receives emergency funding

In Kenya, where the first case was a man working in the DRC who flew to Nairobi via Uganda on 3 October and died two days later, nine cases including two deaths have been recorded, all linked to that first case. More than 130 contacts were placed under quarantine and 20 have been discharged, as covered in Kenya releases 20 Ebola contacts from quarantine as the WHO launches the TUMAINI vaccine trial in DR Congo.

A UN humanitarian fund has allocated more than $2 million to boost preparedness and response in Kenya. The money will support government-led efforts including stronger surveillance at border crossings, training for rapid-response teams and front-line workers, and preparedness along high-risk refugee and travel routes in the north-west of the country.