Ebola tops 11,000 cases in Congo’s deadliest outbreak

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded 11,042 confirmed cases and 5,387 deaths, according to the latest data reported by MedPage Today citing the Associated Press. This makes it the deadliest outbreak in Congo's history and the second-largest globally after the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic, as reported by Yahoo citing UK epidemiologist Neil Ferguson. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, first reported in May, and has spread across North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Cases have also been reported in Nigeria and Kenya, though transmission there has not been widespread, Yahoo reported.

The response has struggled despite nearly $1 billion in funding, according to Médecins Sans Frontières as reported by Bloomberg and BBC. BBC reported that MSF warned millions of dollars are going missing as the virus spreads. Reuters reported the outbreak remains out of control after six months, according to MSF. Professor Ferguson of Imperial College London warned at a press briefing that at the current rate of about 70 confirmed cases per day, the epidemic could continue for at least another year. He noted this is likely a significant underestimate, with experts believing only about half of cases are being recorded and around two-thirds of deaths occurring among people who never visited a health clinic, indicating widespread undetected transmission, Yahoo reported.

No specific vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo strain, though a trial of vaccines developed for the Zaire strain launched last month. Ferguson said even if effective, vaccines are unlikely to make a large dent due to operational challenges, logistics, and public trust issues. Ring vaccination requires good contact tracing and may prove impractical at scale in some areas, Yahoo reported. Health workers face severe challenges: around 150 have been infected, often go unpaid, and face violence including at least 70 attacks on health facilities. Last month a nurse was killed by a mob accused of spreading Ebola in the water supply. During an attack on Cantine-Aloya last week, 66 civilians were killed including three health workers, and three health facilities were looted and burned. More than 1,000 contacts have disappeared and three confirmed cases are unaccounted for, according to WHO as reported by Yahoo. Dr. Aula Abbara of Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust and MSF adviser highlighted that full PPE limits healthcare workers to 45-60 minutes in facilities due to heat exhaustion and dehydration, making procedures like inserting IV lines much harder and reducing patient care time, particularly for children, Yahoo reported.