Ebola Outbreak in DRC Becomes Fastest Growing in Virus History

The latest numbers of confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has made this latest outbreak the fastest growing in the known history of the virus.

At 3,360 confirmed cases, the disease is now affecting people in five provinces in the east of the DRC, with 1,487 deaths recorded, representing an overall case fatality rate estimated at about 45%, according to Congolese health officials. Health responses to the outbreak have been badly hampered by conflict in many of the affected areas.

“I fear that at some point, life may come to a standstill here in our province of Ituri,” said Deborah Nzuva, a mother of four who lives in Rwampara, one of the affected regions. “We were already in a precarious situation before the Ebola virus disease, which continues to claim its victims.”

Since officially declared by the Congolese authorities on 15 May, the Bundibugyo strain of the virus has spread faster than any of the country’s 16 previous Ebola outbreaks – and the numbers are approaching the previous worst toll, in 2018-2020 when 3,470 people in DRC were infected.

Prof Pierre Akilimali, from the country’s public health institute (NPHI), is in charge of the Ebola response. He emphasises that the disease continues to spread and that it is still difficult to know when it will reach its peak. According to him, there is a way to go and the road to bringing the outbreak under control is a long one.

“Here in Ituri, we have the issues of insecurity, mining and high population density, which make the current outbreak more complex than previous ones,” he said.

The Congolese authorities say they have taken a number of measures to limit spread, including strengthening surveillance through community liaison officers, building more than 20 Ebola treatment centres, and setting up local laboratories for testing. “The public must also play their part by seeking medical advice at the slightest suspicion of infection,” Akilimali said. “This will help us to respond effectively to the disease.”

He said cases continue to rise in the Bunia and Rwampara health zones, with between 100 and 150 new confirmed infections each week.

Annabelle Nissi, a clothing trader in Bunia, said people were living in fear.

“This outbreak is causing us great distress. Our hope lies solely in God’s hands. It continues to disrupt our lives and has brought our development projects to a standstill,” she said.

Dr Justus Nsio, field incident manager for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said it was a race against time.

“All the experts monitoring this outbreak agree that it was detected too late. When detection is delayed, we have to work hard to make up for what we missed earlier in order to contain the disease,” he said.

“What is certain is that, with the commitment of the movement and our partners, the outcome will be favourable.”

Clinical trials began in early July of a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no standard treatment.

As of 15 July, about 20 people had been enrolled in these trials, which could last up to four months, according to Prof Placide Mbala, head of laboratory operations for the Ebola response in the DRC.

Uganda, which this week declared the Ebola outbreak over on its territory, 12 days after its last case was reported, has sent experts to the DRC to work alongside their Congolese counterparts, particularly in the border regions of Tchomia and Kasenyi.