The ongoing Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has now resulted in 438 deaths among a total of 1,406 reported cases, indicating a significant fatality rate of 31.2%. This grim update was released on Thursday by the National Institute of Public Health (INSP).
Officially declared on May 15, this particular outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo virus strain. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment available for this variant. However, health authorities have confirmed that clinical trials are in the preparatory stages, offering a glimmer of hope.
The Ituri province remains the primary hotspot for this virulent outbreak, accounting for a staggering 91.2% of confirmed cases and 83.6% of all fatalities. While the virus has also been detected in the neighboring provinces of Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu, the latter has not recorded any new confirmed cases since May 26.
Alarmingly, a confirmed case has surfaced in Kisangani, the provincial capital of Tshopo, located nearly 600 kilometers from the main epidemiological focus. Investigations revealed that the remains of a 24-year-old pregnant woman, six months along, tested positive for the virus. According to the INSP, the body had been illicitly transported by motorcycle from the Nia Nia health zone in Ituri. This clandestine movement poses a severe risk of transmission, particularly given the highly contagious nature of Ebola victims’ remains, especially during traditional funeral rites.
Furthermore, another death and a new contamination case have been reported in the adjacent Haut-Uélé province. Officials are actively searching for the infected individual, who is known to have departed from the Nia Nia health zone.
Despite these recent reports, health authorities 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 sick have been identified, with some transferred to Ituri for essential medical monitoring.
Transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, Ebola virus disease has claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa in the past five decades. In the DRC, the most devastating epidemic on record occurred between 2018 and 2020, resulting in nearly 2,300 deaths.