Ebola outbreak intensifies in drc as who director general visits Kinshasa

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously issued a grave warning about the current Ebola outbreak, noting its “exceptional intensification.” Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reported a total of 3,874 confirmed cases and 1,751 deaths since the epidemic began. This marks a significant health crisis, following the country’s deadliest previous outbreak between 2018 and 2020, which claimed nearly 2,300 lives among 3,500 recorded infections.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, on Tuesday. He was scheduled to meet with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday for discussions regarding the escalating situation.

The WHO chief had earlier visited Ituri in the northeastern part of the country in late May, a region identified as the epicenter of the current epidemic, accounting for almost 90% of all reported cases. This particular outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo variant of the virus, for which effective vaccines or treatments are not yet available. The disease is primarily affecting areas characterized by fragile state presence and severely underdeveloped health infrastructure.

During a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the WHO, expressed concern that “the epidemic unfortunately continues to spread at a pace that overwhelms response capabilities.” He underscored the urgent need for “additional financial support” and resources to bolster crucial areas such as treatment capacities, field investigation teams, and safe burial practices.

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and known for causing hemorrhagic fever, has tragically claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa in the past five decades. The ongoing epidemic has spread across five provinces of the DRC over the last two months: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo.

In a promising development on Tuesday, Canada granted authorization to the American pharmaceutical giant Moderna to commence clinical trials for a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Furthermore, the vaccine identified by the WHO as “the most promising,” known as “rVSV Bundibugyo,” is also slated for development by Hilleman Laboratories, based in Singapore.

Late in July, the first volunteer received an initial dose of another Bundibugyo vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, which utilizes technology similar to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Concurrently, several initiatives are underway to rapidly test various treatments against the Bundibugyo strain, including the antiviral medications remdesivir and obeldesivir, alongside a monoclonal antibody designated MBP134.

The DRC officially declared its 17th Ebola epidemic on May 15, after a delay of several weeks, impacting its vast territory with a population exceeding 100 million inhabitants.