The Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, as the death toll has risen to 1,405 and confirmed infections have surpassed 3,200 since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to government figures released on July 6.
Unprecedented Speed of Transmission
Health officials have noted that this outbreak is spreading more rapidly than any previous Ebola epidemic. During the 2013-2016 West Africa outbreak, which claimed over 11,000 lives from more than 28,000 confirmed cases, it took approximately eight months for the death toll to reach 1,000. In the current outbreak, that milestone was reached in just under 10 weeks.
This marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but only the third caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically for this strain.
WHO Warns of Underreported Cases
The World Health Organization has warned that the true number of infections could be between two and four times higher than official figures suggest. Additionally, health authorities have raised concerns that approximately 80 per cent of newly reported cases are emerging outside known chains of transmission, making it increasingly difficult to trace infections and contain the spread of the virus.
Healthcare Worker Strikes Disrupt Response
The crisis has been compounded by industrial action from healthcare workers. Around 100 doctors, nurses, and security personnel at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Centre in Bunia, Ituri Province, stopped work and staged protests over unpaid performance bonuses, disrupting treatment at one of the outbreak's main response centres. Health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region's largest medical facility, also went on strike over unpaid salaries. Some staff told the Associated Press they had not been paid since joining the Ebola response.
Lack of Resources and Funding
Speaking to Sky News, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya highlighted the impact of resource shortages. "These are people dying," he said. "They are dying because we don't have vaccines, we don't have medicine, we don't have funding."
Transmission and Symptoms
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people or animals, as well as contaminated objects. The virus can also be transmitted through contact with the bodies of people who have died from the disease. Symptoms typically appear between two and 21 days after infection and initially include a high fever, severe muscle and joint pain, headaches, and a sore throat. Patients may later develop vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rashes, liver and kidney failure, and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding. The Bundibugyo strain has an estimated fatality rate of between 30 and 50 per cent.
Experimental Vaccine Trials Underway
Despite the absence of an approved vaccine for the strain, researchers have begun testing an experimental vaccine developed using the same technology as the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. According to the BBC, the first volunteer received the vaccine last week as part of an early-stage clinical trial.
Risks from Movement of Bodies
The International Organization for Migration has warned that the movement of Ebola victims' bodies between different regions of the country for funerals and burials could accelerate the spread of the virus. The organisation noted that Ebola remains highly infectious after death, making safe burial practices a critical part of efforts to contain the outbreak.
