Kinshasa: Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 4,053, resulting in 1,850 deaths. Health authorities are investigating potential changes in the virus that may be contributing to the unprecedented outbreak and are accelerating trials for potential vaccines and treatments.
According to Nam News Network, the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally and the largest in the DRC since the virus was first identified there in 1976. The latest figures from the DRC authorities indicate that, as of Wednesday, there have been 793 recoveries in addition to the confirmed cases and deaths.
Cases have been reported across 53 health zones in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo. Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for 86.9 percent of confirmed cases. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed concerns about underreporting and highlighted the need for studies to determine if additional factors, including virus mutations, are contributing to the outbreak's severity and rapid growth.
Kaseya emphasized that the main weakness in the response is not funding but the need to mobilize affected communities effectively. He called for a more community-led response, focusing on early case detection, strong contact follow-up, easier access to testing and care, timely support for frontline workers, and engagement with religious, traditional, women, and youth leaders. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscored the importance of community ownership in the response.
Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the disease caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. However, Kaseya noted that officials have expanded the use of Ervebo, a vaccine for the Zaire ebolavirus species, among populations in Ituri and North Kivu. Observations suggest that previously vaccinated individuals who contracted the Bundibugyo virus had milder symptoms or survived, with no deaths reported in this group.
Vasee Moorthy, acting lead of the WHO RandD Blueprint, mentioned that new animal-study data on possible cross-protection offered by Ervebo is under review. Progress has also been made on candidate vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus. A vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India entered Phase One clinical trial in Britain on July 24, while another candidate vaccine by Moderna is expected to begin Phase One testing in Canada this week.
WHO stresses that vaccination is only one component of a comprehensive Ebola response, which also includes surveillance, laboratory testing, case management, infection prevention and control, safe and dignified burials, and community engagement.