Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) have surpassed 9,000, with efforts to halt transmission facing multiple obstacles, according to the country's Health Ministry.
In its latest report, DR Congo's Health Ministry recorded 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths as of Tuesday — nearly half of those infected have died.
This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and has become the largest and deadliest in DR Congo's history. Globally, the death toll is second only to the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, when the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 28,600 cases and more than 11,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
There is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, raising concerns about cross-border spread. Last week, Kenya reported its first imported case, in which a Kenyan citizen living in DR Congo traveled through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi and dying there. Earlier this year, Uganda also recorded 20 cases and two deaths, but the country was declared Ebola-free in August.
The current outbreak in DR Congo was announced in mid-May, but some experts suspect it may have begun as early as February. The virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids and has reached seven provinces in the north and east of the country.
Containment efforts are facing multiple barriers as health workers and response teams in DR Congo encounter mistrust from local communities. Many residents believe the outbreak is a ploy by officials to embezzle money. The outbreak is also unfolding against the backdrop of ongoing clashes between the M23 rebel group and government forces, complicating the delivery of medical resources to remote areas.
In September, a local politician in eastern DR Congo was beaten to death after speaking on radio in defense of the government's Ebola response, according to his party.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said a clinical trial to evaluate vaccine efficacy against the Bundibugyo strain is being prepared for DR Congo in the coming weeks.
