Nearly six months into the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epidemic remains deeply concerning, with transmission intensifying in parts of the country’s conflict-hit east, persistent gaps in disease surveillance and medical care, and the risk of further cross-border spread threatening efforts to bring the crisis under control.
“The overall picture remains concerning,” Marie Roseline Belizaire, World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional emergency director for Africa, told an online press briefing Thursday, warning that around 400 to 500 new cases were still being reported every week despite progress in some initial hotspots.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has become the largest Ebola epidemic in the DRC’s history and the second-largest ever recorded worldwide.
According to the latest figures released by the country’s health authorities, the DRC had recorded 11,114 confirmed cases, including 5,433 deaths, as of Nov. 10, with a case fatality rate of 48.9 percent. The outbreak has affected 67 health zones across eight provinces.
TRANSMISSION SHIFTS AMID UNEVEN PROGRESS
The latest WHO regional situation report, published Tuesday, showed that transmission remained at a “high” and “sustained” level, with “no sign of decline”, even as the epidemic’s geographical pattern continued to change.
During the 21 days ending Nov. 7, the DRC reported 1,472 confirmed cases, compared with 1,388 in the preceding 21 days. While infections declined in Ituri Province, the initial epicenter, cases in neighboring North Kivu surged by 31 percent.
Catherine Smallwood, WHO’s incident manager for the Ebola response, said Thursday at the online briefing that the majority of new infections were now concentrated in a handful of areas where armed conflict, population displacement and mistrust continued to hamper response operations.
She warned that previously affected areas remained vulnerable to renewed transmission, citing Mahagi in Ituri, which had reported new infections after going around 90 days without a case.
“We can’t let our guard drop anywhere,” Smallwood said, stressing the need to contain transmission in remaining hotspots while protecting gains made elsewhere.
VIOLENCE THREATENS RESPONSE EFFORTS
Insecurity has emerged as one of the most serious threats to containment efforts.
The WHO has verified 81 attacks on healthcare since the outbreak began, said Belizaire.
An armed attack on Nov. 5 in Cantine-Aloya, in North Kivu’s Beni territory, killed 66 civilians, including three health workers, and left three health facilities looted and burned, according to the WHO.
The violence also forced population displacement, disrupting the monitoring of more than 1,000 people who had been in contact with Ebola patients and leaving three confirmed patients unaccounted for.
Smallwood said during Thursday’s briefing that further attacks had occurred in the Mabalako health zone on Wednesday night, triggering new displacement and prolonging the suspension of Ebola response activities in the area.
“We need an urgent halt in hostilities and violence,” Belizaire said. “Health workers and humanitarian teams must be able to reach affected communities safely, and patients must be able to seek care without fear.”
CROSS-BORDER SPREAD UNDER WATCH
While transmission continues in the DRC, recent infections detected in Kenya and Nigeria have raised concerns about the potential for further international spread.
However, the WHO’s latest regional report indicated that the two countries had so far contained their respective outbreaks, with no additional confirmed cases reported during the latest reporting period.
Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases, including two deaths. All eight secondary cases were linked to a single imported case, with no community transmission detected. Kenya has discharged all surviving Ebola patients and released its final monitored contacts after 21 symptom-free days, authorities said Wednesday.
Nigeria, meanwhile, had reported only one confirmed imported case, involving a 42-year-old woman diagnosed in Abuja in October and subsequently evacuated to Switzerland for treatment. No secondary infections had been identified, while the remaining contacts were expected to complete monitoring by Nov. 13, according to the WHO.
Despite those developments, Belizaire warned that continued transmission in the DRC, combined with population movements and insecurity, posed a continuing threat to neighboring countries.
The WHO said it was strengthening cross-border surveillance and preparedness, particularly in countries including the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
VACCINE RESEARCH OFFERS HOPE
As efforts to contain the epidemic continue, research into vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak is advancing.
On Nov. 4, the WHO announced that two experimental vaccines specifically designed to protect against the Bundibugyo virus had been recommended for inclusion in the ongoing Tumaini clinical trial in the DRC.
The candidates are ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna’s mRNA-1469. Both are expected to join the trial following national regulatory approvals.
The Phase 2/3 Tumaini trial, launched on Oct. 23 in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, is evaluating vaccine candidates using a ring-vaccination approach targeting people who have been in contact with confirmed patients.
The trial initially began evaluating Ervebo, an existing Ebola vaccine whose effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus remains uncertain.
The WHO said initial results from the vaccine trial were expected in early 2027, while clinical trials of experimental treatments were also underway.
No vaccine or specific treatment has yet been approved for disease caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
