The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has quickly grown into the second-largest on record, with cases taking just weeks to reach levels that had taken years in previous outbreaks. There have been at least 3,553 confirmed cases since this outbreak was identified in mid-May, according to data published by the World Health Organization. At least 1,558 people have died.
Challenging Circumstances
The current outbreak presents a challenging set of circumstances: it is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which vaccines and treatments are not readily available, and active conflict in the region is hindering the ability of response teams to reach affected communities.
Despite the progress made, the outbreak in DRC is continuing to outpace the response, according to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Intense transmission in the province of Ituri remains the biggest concern.
Research in Real Time
Trials for vaccines and treatments are underway. A vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain, developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, is the first to reach the clinical trial stage, and the first dose was administered last week.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
