More than 5,000 people have died from an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to government data. The epidemic has affected eight of the country’s 26 provinces, with confirmed cases surpassing 10,300.
Outbreak Severity and Spread
The health ministry reported that the current case fatality rate stands at 48.6%. Public health officials noted that the outbreak began in May and surpassed previous records to become the country’s deadliest in history in August. The United Nations stated this is the 17th outbreak in DR Congo’s history and the second largest globally.
The epicentre of the health crisis remains in the north-eastern Ituri province. Because this region is an active conflict zone, containment efforts have become significantly more difficult, according to the health ministry. The United Nations warned that the current epidemic is taking lives at a much faster rate than previous ones.
Outside of DR Congo, cases have been confirmed in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. In Uganda, two people died and 20 cases were recorded near the start of the outbreak, though no new cases have appeared since August, and travel restrictions remain active at the border. Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths. Nigeria’s disease control centre stated that two suspected cases were isolated and undergoing testing, following an incident earlier in October when a woman contracted the disease and was flown to Switzerland for treatment. Meanwhile, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assessed the infection risk for people in Europe as very low.
Challenges and International Response
Efforts to control the virus have faced violent obstacles on the ground. The UN-backed Radio Okapi reported that a nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured during an attack after local youths accused them of contaminating water sources and spreading the virus. Last month, a politician was beaten to death for promoting preventive measures, and the Red Cross reported that volunteers were injured and an ambulance set on fire across 11 violent incidents in the first 100 days of the outbreak.
The World Health Organization office in Africa stated that ending the outbreak requires a continued scale-up of key control measures, greater access to affected areas, and community outreach. Testing, treatment, and clinical trials of vaccines are currently under way. Health officials noted that the outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo species, for which there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine.
By comparison, DR Congo’s previous deadliest outbreak resulted in 2,299 deaths between 2018 and 2020. Globally, the deadliest outbreak in history occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, claiming more than 11,325 lives across multiple countries including the UK, Italy, and the United States, according to the WHO.
