The Ebola epidemic has become the fastest-moving and second-largest in history, according to the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The disease is spreading rapidly and poses a serious threat to the entire African continent, reports infohub.kz.
"Until every chain of transmission is detected and interrupted, the epidemic will continue and remain a threat to the DRC, its neighbors, and the entire region," he stressed at a press briefing in Geneva.
The death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 3,000, with confirmed cases exceeding 6,100. The fatality rate is nearly 48.5%—about one in two infected people dies.
The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The main danger is that there are no approved vaccines or drugs with proven efficacy against it, although clinical trials of candidates are underway. In the DRC, the Ervebo vaccine, developed against the Zaire strain, has been deployed and has shown positive results.
The WHO notes that many deaths occur among people who were not initially considered contacts, indicating unrecognized transmission routes.
The epidemic has affected six Congolese provinces, with the epicenter remaining in Ituri province. In neighboring Uganda, where cases were also previously recorded, the outbreak has been officially declared over.
Several factors hinder containment. First, unsafe burials: many deceased are buried without following sanitary protocols, leading to infection of relatives and ceremony participants. Second, funding shortfalls: $1.3 billion is needed for a comprehensive response plan over the next six months, and the international community is urged to accelerate funding. Third, armed conflict: the affected regions of the DRC have experienced decades of internal conflict, resulting in a million displaced people, destroyed infrastructure, and regular attacks on medical centers and humanitarian missions.