What experts are saying as Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda kills more that 1,000

What the report says

ABC News, carrying an Associated Press report, said an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has become the fastest-growing recorded, with Congo’s public health institute reporting 2,536 confirmed cases and 1,033 deaths as of Wednesday. The outbreak, declared May 15, is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. At least 738 patients were reported hospitalized or in isolation.

Most infections are in remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but cases have also been identified in five Congolese provinces, including Kisangani, and in neighboring Uganda. Congolese officials say the acceleration may be easing, but they have not said the outbreak has peaked. Contact monitoring remains below the level health authorities consider necessary to stop transmission, with about 77% of known contacts being followed against a 95% target.

The World Health Organization assessed the risk as very high within Congo and high in Uganda and nearby countries, citing movement across borders and ongoing transmission. It still considers the global risk low because Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, not through the air. Uganda has reported 20 cases and two deaths linked to Congo, with no new cases since June 21; a doctor diagnosed in France after travel from Congo has recovered, according to the report.

The response is complicated by community mistrust, fears around treatment centers and safe burials, and insecurity from armed groups and displacement. Researchers have begun a clinical trial in Ituri testing possible treatments for Bundibugyo Ebola, but WHO officials said determining effectiveness could take months and many participants.