Ebola in DRC

What the report says

The London Review of Books reports that the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing its 17th Ebola outbreak, centred in the north-east of the country. According to the article, the outbreak was first identified in Ituri province on 5 May, with laboratory confirmation ten days later that it involved Bundibugyo virus, a less common Ebola-related virus known to cause disease in humans.

LRB says the outbreak has grown to more than 2,500 confirmed cases and more than 1,000 deaths, making it far larger than the two previously known Bundibugyo outbreaks in Uganda in 2007-08 and DRC in 2012. The main affected provinces are Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, with additional cases reported in Haut Uele and Tshopo. The report also notes cross-border concern because the area borders Uganda and South Sudan, and says infections have been detected in Uganda, France and a US humanitarian worker.

The article highlights several obstacles to containment, including insecurity in areas affected by the M23 rebel group, limited access to testing, shortages in displaced persons camps and threatened strike action by health workers over pay and conditions. Timothée Birindwa of the International Rescue Committee is cited describing prevention work with local leaders and health staff, including hygiene and avoiding direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

LRB also reports that there is no licensed vaccine for Bundibugyo virus disease, though candidates are in development. In early July, the WHO, Africa CDC and DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research began enrolling patients in a trial of two antiviral treatments, as responders warn the outbreak may take time to contain.