Africa CDC Warns DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Still Not Under Control

Kinshasa: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) stated on Thursday that it is premature to declare the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as under control, as reported by Xinhua. Despite signs of stabilization in recent weeks, the outbreak is still evolving, according to Africa CDC official Wessam Mankoula. According to Nam News Network, the latest government situation report published on Thursday indicated that the DRC had recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths as of September 1, with a case fatality rate of 48.6 percent. A total of 1,439 patients have recovered from the disease. The outbreak has impacted 60 health zones across six provinces, with four health zones interrupting transmission after reporting no new cases for more than 42 days. Another five zones are in the control phase, having gone between 21 and 42 days without a new case, while transmission remains active in 51 health zones. In recent weeks, the number of cases has declined, and the outbreak is nearing a plateau phase. However, Mankoula cautioned that it is too early to confirm a sustained decline, as similar patterns were observed in June, followed by an increase in cases. He emphasized that the current plateau might be due to stronger surveillance, earlier case detection, active case finding, infection prevention and control measures, and improved case management. The current outbreak, which was declared in May, has become the DRC's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Mankoula noted that although Uganda recently declared its own Ebola outbreak over, the continued active transmission in the DRC's eastern provinces bordering Uganda poses a persistent cross-border risk. He stressed the importance of maintaining strong surveillance systems at points of entry and along border communities to detect potential spillover cases early and prevent a new wave of cross-border transmission. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya stressed that the Ebola situation in the DRC remains extremely serious and continues to spread. Despite the considerable efforts of the DRC government and partners, the situation is not yet under control. Without an approved vaccine or treatment specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus, the international community is relying on experimental and repurposed medical tools. The Ervebo vaccine, licensed for Zaire ebolavirus, is being evaluated for cross-protection against the current strain through a field effectiveness study. Vaccinations for frontline healthcare workers and at-risk populations began on August 27 under protocol-governed compassionate use, which allows the use of unapproved or partially studied vaccines in an outbreak setting. As of September 1, a total of 1,124 healthcare and frontline workers had been vaccinated. Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Africa CDC's director for research, clinical trials, and innovation, expressed hope that more detailed information regarding th e level of cross-protection using the Ervebo vaccine would soon be available. However, he noted that the vaccine's efficacy against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus has not yet been demonstrated.