The Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has intensified, with 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths recorded as of 30 July.
In a situation update released on Saturday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that sustained transmission and the disease’s expanding geographical spread continue to fuel what has become the country’s largest Ebola outbreak on record.
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The agency said the rapid rise in infections and deaths highlights the urgent need to scale up response efforts.
Outbreak reaches five provinces
WHO said the outbreak was initially confined to the Mongbwalu Health Zone in Ituri Province but has expanded significantly over the past two months.
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The virus has now spread across five provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo, affecting 49 health zones.
According to the agency, epidemiological week 30 recorded the highest weekly figures since the outbreak began, with 567 confirmed cases and 296 deaths.
“The continued increase in cases, expanding geographic spread, and persistently high mortality underscore the rapidly evolving nature of this public health emergency,” WHO said.
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The organisation added that the outbreak’s rapid growth highlights the need for a substantial scale-up of response efforts to bring transmission under control.
Response hampered by insecurity
The health agency said insecurity, population displacement, high population mobility and frequent cross-border movements continue to complicate response operations and increase the risk of further spread within the region.
It noted that the Congolese government, WHO and its partners have intensified surveillance, case management, contact tracing, community engagement and other emergency response measures.
However, the agency stressed that significantly more resources are required to keep pace with the growing outbreak.
“National authorities in the DRC, in collaboration with WHO and partners, continue to implement extensive response measures. However, a substantial scaling up of response activities is needed to get ahead of the outbreak,” it said.
WHO added that a regional preparedness and prioritisation framework remains in place to strengthen readiness and response efforts across African countries at risk.
Uganda declares outbreak over
Meanwhile, Uganda has officially declared an end to its Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak after completing 42 consecutive days without a new locally transmitted confirmed case.
According to WHO, Uganda’s Ministry of Health made the declaration on 28 July after the last locally transmitted patient was discharged from treatment on 16 June.
The agency noted that the country’s most recent imported case was discharged on 16 July after testing negative twice for the virus.
In line with international guidelines, WHO said it will continue to monitor Uganda for another 42 days from that date to ensure that no undetected chains of transmission remain.
Despite declaring the outbreak over, WHO warned that Uganda remains at risk of new imported infections because of ongoing transmission in neighbouring DRC.
The agency urged countries in the region to maintain heightened surveillance, preparedness, and infection-prevention measures, particularly in border communities where population movement remains high.
Nigeria on alert
The worsening outbreak comes as Nigerian health authorities continue to strengthen preparedness measures against a possible importation of the virus.
PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) classified the risk of Ebola importation into the country as high, despite there being no confirmed case in Nigeria.
The agency attributed the elevated risk to ongoing transmission in the DRC and neighbouring countries, international travel, porous land borders and regional population movements.
The NCDC has also directed states to intensify surveillance, strengthen screening at points of entry, improve infection prevention and control in health facilities, and ensure rapid detection and isolation of suspected cases.
READ ALSO: CEPI begins first human trial of Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine
Echoes of the 2014 outbreak
The resurgence of Ebola in Central Africa also revives memories of Nigeria’s successful containment of the disease in 2014 after an infected Liberian-American traveller, Patrick Sawyer, introduced the virus into Lagos.
Health experts, however, have warned that the ongoing outbreak in the DRC presents a different challenge because it involves the Bundibugyo strain, unlike the Zaire strain responsible for the 2014 West African epidemic.
Unlike the Zaire strain, there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved targeted therapy for Bundibugyo virus disease, making early detection and strong public health measures even more critical.
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