Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say the Ebola outbreak has reached its peak, with reported daily cases falling from about 120 to about 80. Health minister Samuel Roger Kamba said transmission of the Bundibugyo variant was declining, while stressing that preventive measures must remain in place.
Health zones show signs of improvement
Kamba said 10 of the country’s 62 health zones had gone more than 22 days without reporting a new case. Authorities also said four health zones had passed more than 21 days without a new case and could be removed from the list under that threshold.
The outbreak is concentrated mainly in Ituri province, where continuing conflict has made the response more difficult. Sud-Ubangi, which borders Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic, became the sixth province to report the disease last week. Read the context: Unpaid Ebola health workers walk out in DR Congo’s Ituri province.
Experts warn against declaring victory
Iracan Gratien de Saint-Nicolas, a member of parliament for Bunia, welcomed the progress but warned against “triumphalism”. He called for public evidence showing that transmission is declining, deaths are falling, active transmission areas are shrinking and contact tracing is reaching people exposed to the virus.
Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said during an earlier visit to Bunia that containment and contact tracing were not yet effective enough. He said epidemiologists consider an outbreak to have peaked when all new cases come from known contacts, while 60% to 70% of deaths were occurring in communities.
The outbreak and available tools
The Bundibugyo virus outbreak is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the disease was identified and named in 1976. No effective treatment for the Bundibugyo variant has been found, although clinical trials are taking place in the region.
The DRC received more than 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine last month. Ervebo is approved for the more common Zaire Ebola virus, not the Bundibugyo variant.
What happens next
Kamba said strict preventive measures must continue while authorities monitor transmission and determine which health zones can be removed from the active list.
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