According to a WHO review, prepared based on official data from both countries, a total of 2,473 cases of the deadly virus have been confirmed in the DRC, including 999 deaths. Neighboring Uganda has registered 20 cases, two of which were fatal.
The 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15, when several people died in Ituri province. The disease remained concentrated in this mineral-rich northeastern region plagued by armed groups.
The Ebola virus, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, has also been detected in four other provinces of the DRC.
Cases identified in Uganda are mostly linked to Congolese citizens who crossed the border. The country states that no new cases have been registered for three weeks.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus) warned last week that the outbreak had “spread faster than any previous” Ebola outbreak in the past month.
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Despite intensified response efforts, “the outbreak is still ahead of us and we are still in the catching-up phase,” Thierno Balde, WHO incident manager for the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC, told reporters on Tuesday.
Currently, there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain that caused this outbreak.
However, WHO reported “encouraging progress”: trials of two potential treatments, a vaccine, and post-exposure prophylaxis, are being conducted on site.
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