The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has spread to two new health zones in eastern Congo, bringing the total affected areas to 60.
The two new zones are Biena and Manguredjipa in Congo’s North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate is much higher than the overall rate of 48%, according to the latest government figures published on Friday. The outbreak has recorded 5,794 confirmed cases, including 2,786 deaths, as it spreads at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it.
The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements.
The World Health Organization has said that it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
On Thursday, Congo began vaccinating health workers and other front-line workers with the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type called Zaire.
Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the rare Bundibugyo virus that is causing the current outbreak and which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
Although the current outbreak was declared in mid-May, officials believe it had been spreading since February.
It has spread from three health zones to nearly 60, with most cases and deaths occurring outside the network of monitored contacts and within communities.
Efforts to bring the outbreak under control — from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures — have disrupted life in the six affected provinces, particularly Ituri, which has been ravaged by rebel violence.
The government has introduced measures, including installing health and sanitary equipment at some locations, but advocacy groups say more needs to be done to build trust within the community.
The majority of cases are concentrated in the northeastern Ituri province, which accounts for more than 83% of cases, according to the latest government figures.
While neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola last month, the risk of further cross-border spread remains, WHO said Wednesday.
WHO expert Marie Roseline Belizaire said that the Central African Republic is now considered the country at highest risk of spillover, followed closely by South Sudan, as the outbreak in eastern Congo has expanded toward border areas.
In the viral moment that sparked global alarm, the current outbreak was first declared in mid-May after officials determined it had been spreading undetected since February, starting in just three health zones before ballooning to nearly 60 across six provinces. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak is a rare strain with no approved vaccines or treatments, forcing health authorities to rely on the Ervebo vaccine designed for the more common Zaire type while clinical trials continue.
Clinical trials for a Bundibugyo-specific vaccine are currently underway.