Ebola deaths from the Bundibugyo strain in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 2,000, with scientists racing to develop vaccines as the outbreak accelerates.
Declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in May, the epidemic has now recorded more than 4,000 confirmed cases, making it the second largest and fastest‑growing on record after West Africa’s 2014–2016 crisis.
According to the UN, local health officials are worried that the virus may be mutating, prompting consultations between the Africa Centres for Disease Control and WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo although trials are underway in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Julian Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator in the DRC, urged governments, donors, and communities to “do more, and do it today, to save lives and stop Ebola.”
The response has been hampered by insecurity, attacks on treatment centres and deep mistrust of outside authorities.
WHO reports that up to 70 percent of deaths occur in communities before patients reach medical care.
The outbreak is unfolding amid conflict between the Congolese military and Rwanda‑backed M23 rebels, with recent attacks in Ituri displacing tens of thousands.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned of risks of cross‑border spread, with Rwanda on high alert despite no confirmed cases.
UN agencies and partners are operating mobile testing labs, protecting medical facilities and distributing infection‑prevention equipment, while calling on all parties to the conflict to ensure safe humanitarian access.
JN/APA