Ebola Cases In Congo Surpass 2,100, Death Toll Reaches 828 – WHO

KINSHASA: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has surpassed 2,100 confirmed cases and remains the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever recorded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said ongoing armed conflict, insecurity and community refusal continue to affect access to affected areas and limit the effectiveness of response operations.

He warned that the rate of transmission continues to outpace response efforts, despite significant progress in surveillance, treatment and research.

“Although we have made progress, the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo continues to outpace response capacity,” Tedros said, adding that a treatment centre in Ituri province, which is the epicentre of the outbreak, was attacked earlier this week.

According to the latest situation report issued by DR Congo health authorities on Thursday, the country recorded 2,124 confirmed cases, including 828 deaths.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, has now spread to five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

Ituri province accounts for nearly 90 per cent of all confirmed cases. The report also stated that the first confirmed case in the border health zone of Mahagi has raised concerns about possible cross-border transmission to neighbouring Uganda.

Tedros said Thursday marked exactly two months since the DR Congo government officially declared the outbreak on May 15. In that period, the transmission has grown from a localised cluster in northeastern DR Congo to the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

“In the past month, this outbreak has grown faster than any previous Ebola outbreak,” he said.

He said the highly active transmission in Ituri remains a major concern. More than 80 per cent of new cases detected have no links to identified contact lists, indicating that there are still undetected transmission chains. Approximately two-thirds of deaths occurred in the community before patients could receive treatment at health facilities.

At the same time, response capacity continues to be enhanced. Treatment capacity now exceeds 800 beds, while laboratory infrastructure has grown from just one laboratory at the start of the outbreak to 16 laboratories in affected areas, according to WHO.

The DR Congo situation report shows that 725 patients were placed in isolation centres or hospitalised as of July 15, while 390 others have recovered. Overall, bed occupancy rates reached 85.6 per cent, but several treatment centres in Ituri and North Kivu are still experiencing severe congestion.

A WHO-supported clinical trial, known as PARTNERS, was launched in DR Congo on July 2 to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for infected patients. The study is assessing the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, either separately or in combination.

A vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford began testing on Monday, while another study led by DR Congo’s National Biomedical Research Institute began on Tuesday to test the antiviral drug obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis among high-risk contacts, Tedros said.

The WHO Director-General also appealed for more international support, warning that the Joint Continental Preparedness and Response Plan by WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) still faces a funding shortfall of more than US$400 million.

“This is not charity. This is an investment in national security,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, linked to cross-border transmission, is nearing its end. Tedros said the last confirmed Ebola patient in the country was discharged from treatment on Thursday, beginning the required 42-day monitoring period before an outbreak can be officially declared over. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, in the current outbreak.

However, the DR Congo report stated that population movement, insecurity, small-scale mining activities and cross-border movement with Uganda and South Sudan continue to contribute to the spread of the outbreak.

BERNAMA