DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to a sixth province

What the report says

The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has now reached a sixth province after a death was reported in Bas-Uele, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on comments from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Jean Kaseya said the man died in Buta, the provincial capital, after traveling from Haut-Uele. The outbreak began in the northeast and has already affected Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

Government figures cited in the report put the toll at 2,128 deaths out of 4,566 recorded cases. The World Health Organization said the outbreak is spreading faster than any previous one and warned that, at its current pace, it could become the deadliest on record. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it could surpass the outbreak that started more than a decade ago and killed more than 11,000 people.

Health officials say the outbreak was formally declared on May 15, though the virus was already circulating in February. Al Jazeera reported that the strain involved is the rare Bundibugyo variant, for which no approved vaccines or treatments are available. The WHO has said clinical trials of two possible treatments began last month in Ituri, while vaccines specifically developed for the strain are also being tested. The agency is additionally examining whether an existing Ebola vaccine could offer protection.