{"id":7944,"date":"2026-07-31T12:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7944"},"modified":"2026-07-31T12:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:36:00","slug":"fast-growing-ebola-outbreak-in-drc-surges-to-second-largest-on-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7944","title":{"rendered":"Fast-growing Ebola outbreak in DRC surges to second-largest on record"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has quickly grown into the second-largest on record, with cases taking just weeks to reach levels that had taken years in previous outbreaks.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump defends DOJ weaponization fund and attacks Cornyn, further imperiling Blanche nomination<\/a><\/p>\n

\n There have been at least 3,553 confirmed cases since this outbreak was identified in mid-May, according to data published Friday by the World Health Organization. At least 1,558 people have died.\n <\/p>\n

\n In just over two months, cases in this outbreak have surpassed the total number reported in another historic Ebola outbreak in the DRC that lasted nearly two years, from August 2018 to June 2020.\n <\/p>\n

\n The first 1,000 cases in this outbreak were reported within the first 40 days of response activation, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it took nearly six times as long \u2014 about 235 days \u2014 to reach more than 1,000 cases during the 2018 outbreak.\n <\/p>\n

\n Now, the only larger Ebola outbreak is the 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, which ended with more than 28,600 reported cases and 11,325 deaths.\n <\/p>\n

\n Challenging circumstances\n<\/h2>\n

\n The current outbreak presents a challenging set of circumstances: it is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which vaccines and treatments are not readily available, and active conflict in the region is hindering the ability of response teams to reach affected communities.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cDespite the progress we have made, the outbreak in DRC is continuing to outpace the response,\u201d WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said thismonth.<\/strong> \u201cIntense transmission in the province of Ituri remains our biggest concern.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n About two-thirds of the deaths are happening among people who never received care in a health facility, which can drive community transmission due to exposures that may occur with unsafe handling of bodies.\n <\/p>\n

\n Each confirmed case in an urban area is believed to have 40 potential contacts; with about 3,400 cases in the DRC, the contact tracing list should have about 135,000 people for outbreak response teams to follow up with.\n <\/p>\n

\n But only about 1 in 8 \u2014 fewer than 18,000 people \u2014 have been identified for that list, Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, said at a briefing Thursday. More than 80% of new cases are detected in people who had not been identified through contact tracing.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Workers<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nWorkers in a cemetery in Mungwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on July 14.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Gradel Muyisa Mumbere\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t master this indicator, we\u2019ll not stop this outbreak,\u201d Kaseya said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m not in a position to tell you that we have total control of this outbreak today, because for me to say that, for me to confirm that we achieved the peak and we can start to think about when, maybe, we can stop this outbreak, we need to ensure that all new cases are coming from the contact list. We need to ensure that all deaths are coming from confirmed cases that we have isolated or admitted,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not the case.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Of the 3,553 confirmed cases, the vast majority have been reported in the Ituri province in the northeast corner of the country. It is a resource-rich area with lucrative gold mines and trade routes, which drives high population mobility and cross-border movement. It is also home to more than a million displaced people and armed groups, creating widespread insecurity.\n <\/p>\n

\n Twenty cases associated with the current outbreak have been reported in Uganda and one in France, most of which were imported from the DRC.\n <\/p>\n

\n On Tuesday, health officials in Uganda declared that the country is \u201cofficially Ebola free.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe declaration follows the successful completion of all outbreak response measures and confirms that there has been no further transmission of the virus,\u201d according to a release from Uganda\u2019s Ministry of Health.\n <\/p>

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\n WHO requires 42 days of enhanced surveillance before the end of an outbreak can be declared, and the organization has not marked this milestone for Uganda.\n <\/p>\n

\n Research in real time\n<\/h2>\n

\n As the outbreak continues to grow in the DRC, trials for vaccines and treatments are underway.\n <\/p>\n

\n A vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain, developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, is the first to reach the clinical trial stage, and the first dose was administered last week. It uses the same technology as the Oxford University\/AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19.\n <\/p>\n

\n And a trial of two antiviral therapies \u2013 a monoclonal antibody (MBP134) and remdesivir \u2014 has been enrolling patients in the DRC for about a month, with at least 41 patients participating so far.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOne of the key lessons from recent outbreaks is that research needs to happen alongside the response, not after it,\u201d Amanda Rojek, associate professor of health emergencies at Oxford\u2019s Pandemic Sciences Institute and operations lead for the trial, said in a statement. \u201cThe PARTNERS trial gives us an opportunity to evaluate potential treatments during the outbreak itself, so that the evidence generated can help inform patient care when it is needed most \u2013 in months rather than years.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa \u2014 the worst on record \u2014 was driven by the Zaire strain of Ebola, which has become the more common strain. But at the time, there were no vaccines or treatments initially available.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Democratic<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nDemocratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka washes her hands while touring Mongbwalu General Hospital on July 24.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Gradel Muyisa Mumbere\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Shifting US involvement\n<\/h2>\n

\n The current Ebola outbreak is the \u201cmost significant international infectious disease outbreak the Trump administration has had to face in its second term,\u201d according to a KFF analysis \u2014 and there are significant differences in how the US government is responding, compared with earlier outbreaks.\n <\/p>\n

\n The speed of the US government\u2019s response, support of research for countermeasures such as testing, vaccines and treatments, and other funding are on par or surpassing efforts from prior large Ebola outbreaks, the analysis suggests. But there are notable differences in how the US response is structured and \u201csignificant upheaval\u201d in US global health programs that \u201ccould have implications as the response continues to unfold.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The US is coordinating with some United Nations agencies but left WHO membership last year, which could \u201cpresent barriers to communications or coordination at times,\u201d the analysis says.\n <\/p>\n

\n Past responses were led by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which was dissolved last year. This role has now shifted to the State Department, but it\u2019s particularly in bureaus that have had recent staff reductions.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe current relative lack of specified inter-departmental coordination mechanisms could affect the U.S. response over time, particularly if the outbreak is protracted and the U.S. response scales up further,\u201d the analysis said.\n <\/p>\n

\n There is also a \u201cmarked difference\u201d in the US approach to border policies, with certain travelers blocked from entry instead of less restrictive screening and monitoring programs that were used in prior outbreaks.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States is considered very low,\u201d according to the US CDC. \u201cIf a case was diagnosed in the United States, the risk of Ebola spreading in the United States is also low due to the strength of our public health system and infection control measures.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more FDA advisers support easing restrictions on six peptides. Here\u2019s what those drugs are and what happens next<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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