WHO Seeks Urgent Global Support to Contain DR Congo Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization has appealed for urgent international assistance to contain the expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that infections are increasing faster than existing response capabilities. Declared on May 15, the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak has already become its largest, according to figures released by the health agency.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said additional funding and operational resources were required to expand treatment facilities, field-investigation teams, safe-burial units and community outreach. Authorities have confirmed 3,802 infections and 1,707 deaths, while 727 patients have recovered. A further 275 suspected cases remain under investigation as health workers attempt to identify new transmission chains.

Approximately 17,000 people who had contact with infected patients are being monitored, with more than 80 per cent receiving daily health checks. Cases have been detected across five provinces, but nearly 90 per cent are concentrated in the northeastern Ituri province, with most of the remaining infections reported in neighbouring North Kivu. The WHO said the response must address both current transmission areas and locations potentially at risk.

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The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, for which no vaccines, preventive medicines or treatments have yet been proven safe and effective. Ebola is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. Several experimental vaccines, therapies and post-exposure antiviral medicines are now undergoing trials, with preliminary research producing encouraging indications.

The leading vaccine candidates include a ChAdOx1-based shot being developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and an mRNA vaccine from Moderna. The Oxford candidate entered a Phase I trial in Britain on July 24, while Moderna’s trial was expected to begin in Canada. Researchers are assessing safety, immune response and appropriate dosage levels before determining whether larger Phase III trials can proceed.

Scientists are also examining whether the Ervebo vaccine, currently used against the Zaire Ebola species, could provide cross-protection against Bundibugyo. Separately, the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and antiviral remdesivir are being tested among confirmed patients in Ituri, while more than 25 high-risk contacts have joined a trial of the oral antiviral obeldesivir to determine whether a 10-day course can prevent illness.

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