The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over the rapid escalation of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), describing its spread as « occurring at an unprecedented pace ». Since the beginning of the epidemic, authorities have recorded 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 deaths. This marks one of the most devastating outbreaks in the country’s history, following the devastating 2018-2020 crisis that claimed nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 reported cases.

WHO Director-General arrives in Kinshasa amid critical response efforts

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, landed in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday to discuss urgent measures to curb the outbreak. This visit follows his late May trip to Ituri, a northeastern province and the current epicenter of the epidemic, where nearly 90% of cases have been reported.

The ongoing outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, a strain for which no vaccine or treatment currently exists. The situation is exacerbated by fragile state presence and severely under-resourced health infrastructure in affected regions.

Global health experts warn of overwhelming spread

« The epidemic continues to spread at a pace that outstrips response capabilities », warned a WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jasarevic, during a press briefing in Geneva. He emphasized the urgent need for enhanced financial support and resources to bolster treatment capacity, field investigation teams, and safe burial protocols.

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, causes severe hemorrhagic fever and has claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa in the past five decades. The current outbreak has now spread across five provinces in the DRC, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo.

Scientific breakthroughs offer hope in battling Bundibugyo strain

On Tuesday, Canada granted approval to American pharmaceutical giant Moderna to initiate clinical trials for a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain. This candidate, identified by the WHO as the « most promising », known as the rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine, is also being developed by Hilleman Laboratories based in Singapore.

In late July, a volunteer in the United Kingdom received the first dose of another experimental vaccine against Bundibugyo, developed by the University of Oxford. This vaccine employs the same technology as AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. Additionally, several initiatives are underway to rapidly test treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, including antiviral drugs like remdesivir and obeldesivir, as well as a monoclonal antibody called MBP134.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola epidemic on May 15, weeks after the first cases were detected, in a nation of over 100 million people.