Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Records One of Its Highest Weekly Death Tolls Yet

Bunia, Congo reported by AP — Over three hundred individuals succumbed to Ebola in eastern Congo within the last week, marking one of the highest weekly death tolls to date. The Ministry of Health disclosed these figures on Monday, as health personnel battle to keep pace with an outbreak that is spreading at an unprecedented rapid pace.

As of Saturday, the outbreak had registered a total of 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, with 317 fatalities occurring within the past week alone. However, Congo's experts have posited that the outbreak, which began weeks before it was officially confirmed, might be three times the current estimated size.

This is the swiftest-growing Ebola outbreak in recorded history, with a considerable number of fatalities occurring beyond treatment centers. The outbreak has claimed seven times more lives at this stage compared to the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest in history, which recorded over 11,000 deaths.

Most of the recent cases in Ituri province, currently the hotspot, can be traced back to outside monitored contacts. Approximately half of the infected individuals have perished, but the government's data reveals significantly higher fatality rates in challenging-to-access regions such as North Kivu province, where the mortality rate stands at an alarming 68.6%.

One major hurdle has been the absence of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus, which is the cause of this outbreak. On Friday, Congo received over sixteen thousand doses of the Ervebo vaccine, effective in previous Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more prevalent strain. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Ervebo may also be utilized in clinical trials for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine, though it remains uncertain whether Ervebo can protect against the Bundibugyo virus. Early laboratory and animal data suggest it may offer some level of protection.

However, WHO has not disclosed when the vaccine will be made available to frontline workers. In Ituri, locals expressed hope that the vaccines could help curb the outbreak. Héritier Ramazani, a resident, commented, "I am very pleased that these vaccines have finally arrived. We are tired of recording new cases of Ebola every day."

The outbreak is unfolding in conditions fraught with challenges, including rebel threats, massive population movements, medical teams facing work stoppages due to unpaid responders, community anger, poor road conditions, and misinformation that Ebola isn't real. Experts believe the virus was likely spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.