For a country that has lived through sixteen earlier Ebola epidemics, the latest numbers from the Democratic Republic of Congo are still shocking. Health ministry figures released on Wednesday put confirmed infections at 11,042 and deaths at 5,387, meaning close to half of everyone who caught the virus has died. No previous outbreak in Congo has come close, and globally only the West African epidemic of 2014 to 2016 was larger.
This time the culprit is the Bundibugyo species, a rare form of the virus with no licensed vaccine and no approved drug. Since the outbreak was declared in May it has reached eight of Congo’s 26 provinces. Ituri carries most of the burden, while North Kivu is producing much of the fresh spread. The pace has been startling: cases topped 1,000 within about 40 days, against roughly 235 days in the 2018 outbreak.
Speaking to member states on Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus offered a careful balance. Almost 3,000 patients have recovered and transmission appears to be slowing in places, he said, yet new hotspots keep appearing. He warned against confusing local gains with control of the whole outbreak.
Violence is making the job far harder. When gunmen struck Cantine-Aloya days ago, 66 civilians died, including three people working in health care, and three clinics were plundered and burned. Responders lost track of more than 1,000 contacts. Rumours, refusals of screening, resistance to safe burials and strikes by unpaid staff add to the strain.
Science is trying to catch up. Since October, researchers have been testing Ervebo, a shot built for a different Ebola strain, and WHO expert panels are pushing for two Bundibugyo-specific candidates to join the study. The virus has already crossed borders: Kenya recorded nine linked cases, including two deaths, and has now released its last patient.
