Ebola outbreak in DRC spreads beyond borders, global response struggles to keep up

Five weeks after the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the virus remains far from contained. Although response efforts have ramped up significantly, they have yet to outrun a pathogen that keeps advancing, crossing frontiers, and taking lives.

The gains made are real. Bed capacity for patients has surged from fewer than ten to over 500 across 19 health centres in affected areas. Testing has followed a similar curve: from 30 daily tests at the onset, the DRC now performs more than 2,000 per day in nine laboratories covering three provinces. More than 100 patients have recovered, underscoring that early care can mean the difference between life and death.

Yet the overall tally remains grim: 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 deaths to date. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the epidemic continues to outpace the response. Contact tracing is insufficient, isolation capacities are still below what is needed, and safe burials remain a daily challenge in communities that are often suspicious or hard to reach.

The outbreak has now spread well beyond the Congolese provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Neighbouring Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, all linked to the Congolese strain. More alarmingly, France reported its first case on European soil this Wednesday: a humanitarian doctor from the NGO ALIMA, returning from a mission in the DRC, tested positive for the Ebola Bundibugyo virus. Now being treated in a specialised facility, he is in stable condition. An epidemiological investigation is under way to identify and monitor his contacts.

This case is a stark reminder of the price paid by frontline health workers. Nearly 80 health personnel have been infected since the crisis began, prompting the WHO to urge states to guarantee secure deployment conditions for their humanitarian staff, including the possibility of rapid medical evacuation in case of contamination.

Beyond health obstacles, the response is facing structural constraints that complicate every intervention. Border closures are hampering the movement of teams and equipment. Security incidents are on the rise in a region scarred by decades of armed conflict. And funding has been slow to materialise, even as the WHO and the Africa CDC have launched a continental plan valued at $518 million.

Yet a glimmer of hope remains: a clinical trial evaluating two antivirals – MBP134 and remdesivir – is set to begin next week in the DRC. Led by a consortium including the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research, ALIMA, the University of Oxford and the WHO, and supported by donations from the United States and Gilead Sciences, this trial could mark a decisive turning point in the fight against an epidemic that, five weeks after its onset, is far from being contained.