The ongoing Ebola epidemic gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has tragically claimed 438 lives from a total of 1,406 recorded cases, reflecting a grim fatality rate of 31.2%. These latest figures were released on Thursday by the National Public Health Institute (INSP).

Officially declared on May 15, this particular outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo virus strain. Crucially, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment available for this variant. Health authorities, however, confirm that clinical trials are in the preparatory stages.

Ituri province remains the primary hotspot for the epidemic, accounting for a staggering 91.2% of confirmed cases and 83.6% of all deaths. While the virus has also been detected in the neighboring provinces of Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu, the latter has not reported any new confirmed cases since May 26.

Authorities have, concerningly, confirmed a case in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, located nearly 600 kilometers from the main outbreak zone. Laboratory analysis on the remains of a 24-year-old woman, who was six months pregnant, tested positive for the virus. According to the INSP, her body had been illicitly transported by motorcycle from the Nia Nia health zone in Ituri, despite the well-documented high risk of transmission associated with Ebola victims’ remains, particularly during funerary rites.

Furthermore, one death and a new contamination case have been reported in the adjacent Haut-Uélé province. Officials state that the infected individual also departed from the Nia Nia health zone and is currently being sought.

Despite these new reports, health officials maintain that only three provinces are officially considered affected by the epidemic. They classify the cases identified in Tshopo and Haut-Uélé as ‘imported’ infections originating from Ituri. Nevertheless, several individuals who had contact with the patients have been identified, with some transferred to Ituri for necessary medical monitoring.

Ebola virus disease, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, has been responsible for over 15,000 fatalities across Africa in the past five decades. In the DRC specifically, the most devastating epidemic on record resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths between 2018 and 2020.