The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has spread to two new health zones, bringing the total number of affected zones to 60, according to figures published on Friday by the country's government.
The two new zones are Biena and Manguredjipa in North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate is much higher than the overall rate of 48%, partly due to delayed response efforts, according to Congo's Ministry of Health data.
Outbreak on track to surpass deadliest in history
The outbreak has recorded 5,794 confirmed cases, including 2,786 deaths, and is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it, the ministry said. The spread is fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
New treatment centre opened in Beni
Aid group Doctors Without Borders said on Friday it had opened a new treatment centre in Beni in North Kivu to enable a faster response in what it said was one of the hardest-hit areas. While the large majority of cases are concentrated in northeastern Ituri province, North Kivu has an Ebola fatality rate of close to 69%, one of the highest in the country, according to the latest government figures.
The new centre “enables the rapid treatment of patients, strengthens contact tracing and supports the health authorities in their efforts to contain the spread of the virus,” Doctors Without Borders said in a statement.
Vaccination and clinical trials underway
On Thursday, Congo began vaccinating health workers and other front-line workers with the Ervebo vaccine, which was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type called Zaire. Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the rare Bundibugyo virus that is causing the current outbreak and which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
Although the current outbreak was declared in mid-May, officials believe it had been spreading since February. It has spread from three health zones to nearly 60, with most cases and deaths occurring outside the network of monitored contacts and within communities.
Disruption and cross-border risk
Efforts to bring the outbreak under control — from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures — have disrupted life in the six affected provinces, particularly Ituri, which has been ravaged by rebel violence.
The government has introduced measures, including installing health and sanitary equipment at some locations, but advocacy groups say more needs to be done to build trust within the community. While neighbouring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola last month, the risk of further cross-border spread remains, the WHO said on Wednesday.
WHO expert Marie Roseline Belizaire said that the Central African Republic is now considered the country at highest risk of spillover, followed closely by South Sudan, as the outbreak in eastern Congo has expanded toward border areas.
