Ebola Bundibugyo Outbreak in Congo Tops 1,200 Cases

The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reached 1,203 confirmed cases, including 321 deaths, according to government data and WHO reports. This marks the highest first-month total for any episode of the disease, surpassing previous outbreaks. The outbreak, declared on May 15 but undetected for weeks prior, is concentrated in three conflict-affected provinces—Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of 'blind spots' in the Ebola outbreak, suggesting the spread may be much wider than official estimates. Olivier le Polain, a WHO epidemiologist in Beni, eastern Congo, noted that there are still many high-risk areas with insufficient data. The virus has now spread across three provinces since the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.

Response efforts are being hampered by mistrust, resistance, and the presence of armed groups in Ituri province. Attacks on burial teams and treatment centers have been reported, with medics struggling to secure basic protective equipment due to logistical problems. Three laboratories in DRC have run out of supplies to test for Ebola, according to the WHO.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that the outbreak could become the worst if critical weaknesses in the response are not addressed quickly. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, mentioned during a virtual meeting of African heads of state in Burundi on June 16 that tens of thousands of contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced. The organization is seeking $1.4 billion for a joint plan with the WHO aimed at containing the outbreak.

Advocacy groups have urged the U.S. government to make an experimental Ebola treatment by Mapp Biopharmaceutical available for clinical trials and emergency use in countries responding to the Bundibugyo outbreak. The contact tracing coverage rate has dropped to 55%, a slight improvement from previous weeks, attributed to community resistance and rapid expansion of the outbreak into new health zones.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC to Level 1, its highest level reserved for critical emergencies. The CDC has deployed 19 staff members overseas to assist with epidemiological investigations and support local teams on the ground. Dr. Satish Pillai, incident manager for the CDC's Ebola response, said they are assisting over 125 people already in Congo and Uganda with data analysis, exit screenings at airports, laboratory support, and training.

Donors have pledged $910 million to support the Ebola response in Congo and Uganda, including $80 million from African Union member states. However, less than 13% of these pledges have been received, according to Africa CDC officials as reported by Reuters on June 25.

Prof Salim Abdool Karim, director of the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa), warned that it is only a matter of time before an Ebola case is imported to South Africa if the outbreak in the DRC is not contained. In Uganda, health officials are closely monitoring the situation due to its long shared border with the DRC. Despite official border closures, people continue to move freely across it, posing challenges to containment efforts.

Travel restrictions have been tightened after France confirmed its first case of Ebola in a humanitarian doctor returning from Congo. The DRC has imposed a 21-day quarantine for anyone returning from Ebola-affected areas before they can travel abroad. The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain, which has up to a 50 percent mortality rate and no approved vaccine or treatment.

The whereabouts of almost 300 people who have tested positive for Ebola in the DRC are unknown, according to Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya. The humanitarian crisis amid conflict means more than 1 million people are living in camps with no access for health workers.