DRC reports 80 deaths in fresh Ebola outbreak, says no vaccine available

The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, has confirmed a fresh Ebola outbreak that has already claimed at least 80 lives, with health authorities warning that no vaccine or specific treatment currently exists for the deadly strain involved.

 

DRC Health Minister, Samuel-Roger Kamba, disclosed this on Saturday during a press briefing in Kinshasa, describing the outbreak as severe and highly dangerous.

 

According to him, the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine is available.

 

“The Bundibugyo strain has no vaccine, no specific treatment,” Kamba said.

 

“This strain has a very high lethality rate which can reach 50 per cent,” he added.

 

Health ministry officials said the death toll had risen to 80 from the 65 deaths initially reported on Friday.

 

Authorities also confirmed 246 suspected cases linked to the outbreak in Ituri Province in northeastern DRC, near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan.

 

The outbreak has already spread beyond Congo, with Uganda confirming the death of a 59-year-old Congolese national in Kampala.

 

Ugandan health authorities said tests showed the victim was infected with the Bundibugyo strain, first identified in 2007.

 

The deceased reportedly arrived from the DRC and was admitted to a health facility in Kampala earlier in the week before dying.

 

According to the DRC health minister, the outbreak began after a nurse in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, reported to a hospital on April 24 with symptoms associated with Ebola.

 

Symptoms of the disease include fever, vomiting, haemorrhaging and severe weakness.

 

Health experts have expressed concern over the possibility of wider regional spread due to heavy cross-border movement within the affected areas.

 

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC, confirmed the outbreak on Friday, warning that the situation poses a high transmission risk.

 

Acting Director of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jay Bhattacharya, described the outbreak as “large.”

 

The World Health Organisation, WHO, also raised concerns over the scale of transmission, saying uncertainties surrounding the outbreak remain significant.

 

“Given the uncertainties and severity of the illness, there is concern about the scale of transmission in affected communities,” the WHO said.

 

The organisation added that it was preparing to airlift about five tonnes of medical supplies and infection prevention equipment to the affected areas.

 

Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease believed to originate from bats and spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons.

 

According to the WHO, Ebola outbreaks over the past five decades have recorded mortality rates ranging from 25 to 90 per cent.

 

The DRC has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks in recent years, including the country’s deadliest between 2018 and 2020, which killed nearly 2,300 people.