By Ayomide Otitoju
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 3,500 confirmed Ebola cases, surpassing the total reported during the country’s deadliest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, according to official figures released on Friday.
The latest outbreak is centred in the conflict-affected eastern region, where decades of violence have complicated disease surveillance and response efforts.
Ebola, a viral disease spread through contact with infected bodily fluids, causes severe haemorrhagic fever and has claimed more than 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.
Data released by Congolese health authorities showed that 3,532 confirmed cases had been recorded across five provinces, including 1,556 deaths.
The figures represent a sharp rise from the 2,000 confirmed cases reported on July 15, just two months after the outbreak was officially declared.
The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
However, efforts to develop vaccines are progressing. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories will develop what it described as the “most promising” vaccine candidate against the current outbreak.
Last week, the first volunteer also received a dose of a separate Bundibugyo vaccine being developed by Oxford University as part of an ongoing clinical trial.
The outbreak remains concentrated in Ituri Province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, although infections have also been confirmed in North Kivu, South Kivu and two other provinces.
Health officials say assessing the full scale of the outbreak remains challenging due to insecurity in the affected areas, where large territories are under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.
Meanwhile, Uganda this week declared itself Ebola-free following the recovery of its last locally transmitted case, although the WHO warned that the country remains at risk because of the ongoing outbreak in neighbouring DRC.
