BUNIA, Democratic Republic of the Congo: The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the recovery of five Ebola patients infected with a rare strain of the virus for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment, as health authorities struggle to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Sunday that four patients were due to be discharged from hospital in the eastern city of Bunia, while another patient had returned home two days earlier.
“Four people will be discharged today, and there was one that was discharged the day before yesterday,” Tedros said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the epicentre of the outbreak.
The outbreak is the 17th recorded Ebola epidemic in the DRC. However, unlike most previous outbreaks, which were caused by the Ebola Zaire strain for which vaccines and treatments are available, health authorities are now confronting the Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
According to the WHO, the Bundibugyo strain can kill up to 50 percent of those infected.
WHO appeals for support
Tedros is visiting the worst-affected areas of eastern Congo to assess containment efforts and identify challenges facing the response.
After arriving in Bunia, he said the WHO was working closely with Congolese authorities to strengthen the outbreak response.
“We are here to see how the response is running and if there are challenges to help,” Tedros said.
He also called on local communities to play a greater role in combating the disease.
“They understand the problems better and they know the solution as well,” he said.
Tedros urged residents to follow public health guidance, particularly regarding funerals, which have historically played a significant role in Ebola transmission.
“Certain practices including touching of bodies of those who have died from Ebola can spread the virus further,” he said.
“While we grieve for those we’ve lost, we must do everything we can so that we don’t lose another, and get into a cycle of grief.”
Earlier in the week, Tedros appealed directly to armed groups operating in eastern Congo to declare a ceasefire to allow health workers safe access to affected communities.
MSF says situation ‘deeply alarming’
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, has warned that the outbreak is spreading faster than any previously recorded Ebola epidemic.
In a statement issued on Saturday, MSF deputy director of operations Alan Gonzalez described the situation as “deeply alarming”.
“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Gonzalez said.
He said MSF teams were witnessing an outbreak response that had failed to keep pace with the spread of the virus.
“Like everyone in the affected areas, MSF teams are witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic,” he said.
Gonzalez stressed that the Bundibugyo strain presents additional challenges because of the absence of approved vaccines and treatments, as well as difficulties in diagnosis.
“Unlike most previous Ebola disease outbreaks, this one involves the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments, and which is particularly difficult to diagnose due to limited testing capacity,” he said.
He further warned that the true scale of the outbreak remained unclear.
“The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak. New suspected cases are being reported daily, yet hundreds of samples remain untested,” Gonzalez said.
MSF also cited border closures, airport restrictions and other logistical challenges that were slowing containment efforts and humanitarian operations.
Cases continue to rise
According to official figures released by Congolese authorities, the DRC has recorded 263 confirmed Ebola cases, 42 confirmed deaths and 349 suspected infections.
However, separate reports from health workers indicate that more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 deaths are under investigation as authorities continue testing and verification efforts.
The outbreak has also spread beyond Congo’s borders. Uganda, which shares a lengthy frontier with the DRC, has reported nine confirmed cases and one death.
The WHO has repeatedly warned that insecurity and armed conflict in eastern Congo are significantly hampering efforts to contain the disease.
Health authorities in Bunia have expanded public awareness campaigns and screening measures as concerns grow over the spread of the virus.
