The main health organization in Africa reported in its weekly bulletin that the Ebola epidemic, considered the fastest spreading recorded in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is expanding beyond its point of origin.
The Ituri province remains the most affected area, counting over 5,400 cases, while North Kivu registered more than 1,000 cases since May. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) pointed out that although new cases and deaths have recently decreased in Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, there has been a sharp increase in the neighboring regions of North Kivu and Upper Uele.
The spread in eastern Congo occurs under extremely adverse circumstances, exacerbated by insecurity, displacement of people, a strike by health professionals, and intense population movements. The situation is particularly alarming in shelters for displaced persons, where residents already face conditions of extreme precariousness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the epidemic is not under control and risks surpassing the one that occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, which was the deadliest recorded, resulting in over 11,000 deaths, mainly in Guinea-Conakry, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Last month, the DRC started vaccinating health professionals and other frontline workers with the Ervebo vaccine, which demonstrated effectiveness in previous outbreaks caused by a different and more common strain of the virus, known as Zaire. Currently, clinical trials are underway to develop a vaccine approved against the Bundibugyo virus.
