The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak has passed 11,000 confirmed cases, with nearly half of those infected dying, according to government figures.
Health ministry data shows 11,042 people have been infected with the virus, which has killed 5,387 — roughly half of all cases in what has become the country's deadliest outbreak on record.
Outbreak declared in May
The outbreak was declared in mid-May. Congolese authorities have struggled to contain it due to armed conflicts, a health system crisis, poor roads, and violence from residents driven by mistrust and misinformation.
The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak has no known vaccine or treatment and has spread to eight of the country's 26 provinces.
Violence hampers response
Renewed violence in the two main hotspots in Ituri and North Kivu provinces has raised concern among health authorities, who are calling for a halt to fighting to allow health workers unhindered access to the sick. Health facilities and medical professionals have been targeted by community members sceptical of the virus, with several attacks on health workers reported.
Experts have called for more efforts to slow and contain the disease in the DRC, while it has spread to multiple African countries including Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
British doctor in UK care
A British doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working in the DRC has returned to the UK for specialist treatment at a London hospital. The doctor is being cared for in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital, according to the Government.
The man was brought to the UK on a medical evacuation flight in a joint effort between the UK and DRC governments and their international health partners. He was thought to be working on an Ebola outbreak in DRC, central Africa.
Dr Renu Bindra, deputy director of the All Hazards Public Health Response team at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and robust infection prevention and control protocols to limit the risk of onward transmission, and the risk to the wider public remains low.”
Ebola symptoms and UK preparedness
Ebola has a high fatality rate, with past outbreaks causing death in 25%-90% of infected people. People with the disease tend to fall ill two to 21 days after contact with an orthoebolavirus. Early symptoms include fever, aches, pains and fatigue, but can progress to diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.
There have only been four confirmed cases of the virus in the UK previously — one in 1976 resulting from a laboratory needle incident, and three involving health workers responding to an outbreak in west Africa between 2014 and 2015. The Royal Free Hospital has a high-level isolation unit run by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and laboratory staff.
The team has previously treated adult patients with Lassa fever, Ebola and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever. Access to the unit is restricted. It includes a special tent with controlled ventilation that still allows care to be provided by NHS staff. All air leaving the unit is cleaned so there is no risk to anyone inside or outside of the hospital.
Professor Emma Thomson, director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: “The UK is extremely well prepared to care for patients with Ebola. Although Bundibugyo virus, the cause of the current outbreak, can cause severe disease and is highly infectious through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, the Royal Free has state-of-the-art isolation facilities and highly experienced clinical teams.
“Strict protocols are in place to protect healthcare workers and prevent onward transmission. The risk to the wider UK public is extremely low.”
Dr Damien Tully, an expert in infectious disease from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The infection of a British healthcare worker with Ebola is deeply concerning, but it is not entirely unexpected.
“Healthcare workers are on the front line of these outbreaks, often treating severely-ill patients under extremely challenging conditions. Even with rigorous protective measures, accidental exposures can occur. This case is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those responding to the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the DRC.
“However, it does not suggest that the virus has become more transmissible or that the threat to the UK has increased. Unlike respiratory viruses such as Covid-19 and influenza, that can spread through the air, Ebola is transmitted primarily through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, and people are not generally infectious until they develop symptoms.
“This means that identifying and isolating cases, together with appropriate infection prevention measures, can be highly effective in preventing onward transmission. For the UK public, the risk from this planned medical evacuation is extremely low.”
