Ebola spreads to two more health zones in DR Congo, WHO says

Ebola has spread to two additional health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization said on Friday, as authorities struggle to contain the outbreak. New cases were identified in Bulu in South Ubangi province, near the Central African Republic, and Dungu in Haut-Uele province, near South Sudan. The additions bring the number of affected health zones to 63 across seven provinces.

As of September 23, the DRC had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths, according to the WHO. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said conflict and population displacement were making it harder for health workers to reach communities and identify people who may have been exposed.

Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said more than 7,000 confirmed cases should correspond to about 420,000 contacts. The contact list currently contains only about 30,000 people, he said, warning that community-level transmission made control difficult. Ituri remains the epicentre, with 6,032 confirmed cases since the epidemic began in May, including 868 reported during the previous 21 days.

North Kivu has recorded 1,480 cases and accounted for around a third of recent cases and deaths, according to the WHO. Nearly 60% of people diagnosed in North Kivu have died, above the national average of 48%. Dr Michel Paluku Mukuloli said some patients delay seeking care because they fear being sent to treatment centres.

Tedros said the WHO was accelerating clinical trials of vaccines and treatments. Responders also face diagnostic challenges because early Bundibugyo symptoms can resemble malaria and typhoid.