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.

Outbreak Details

In just over two months, cases in this outbreak have surpassed the total number reported in another historic Ebola outbreak in the DRC that lasted nearly two years, from August 2018 to June 2020. The first 1,000 cases in this outbreak were reported within the first 40 days of response activation, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Response Efforts

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. About two-thirds of the deaths are happening among people who never received care in a health facility, which can drive community transmission due to exposures that may occur with unsafe handling of bodies.

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: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.