DRC Ebola outbreak reaches 3,360 cases

The ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reached 3,360 cases across five provinces as of 27 July, with 1,487 recorded deaths – an overall death rate of around 44%.

The figures represent a major increase compared with those released on 11 July, when there were just under 2,000 confirmed cases, and around 700 deaths. At that time, the WHO had already declared the Ebola outbreak the fastest-growing it had ever managed.

The medical response to the viral outbreak has been hindered, in part by local distrust and violence against healthcare officials, and by resource shortages.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, described the outbreak as a “fire” at a press conference in Geneva earlier this month, warning that “80% of new cases outside of our contact lists, and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission.”

The WHO also stated that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died without ever reaching a health facility or receiving care – a fact which Dr Ihekweazu described as the “most alarming finding.”

A two-pronged approach

The WHO has outlined a two-part strategy for its response to the virus – continuing to focus heavily on cases in Ituri, where the vast majority of cases originate, but also working to understand the travel routes, and map out where there are risks of new cases emerging.

Several therapeutic drugs are currently undergoing clinical trials, but there is currently no approved treatment for patients with the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. Despite this, the WHO stated that chances of survival increase significantly with early, supportive care.

“We must find the cases earlier, bring them into care as soon as possible” to reduce transmission in the community and avoid staying behind the curve,” explained Dr Ihekweazu.