The “true scale of the outbreak has not yet been fully established,” said Dr. Anne Ancia, WHO representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We’d like to say it’s stabilizing, but frankly, we can’t say that yet,” he said.
Speaking from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province at the center of the outbreak, Dr Ancia told reporters in Geneva that as of July 4, the country’s government had recorded 1,561 confirmed cases, including 506 deaths and 254 recovered people. More than 10,000 contacts are being monitored.
Centers at ‘saturation point’
In support of the government-led response, WHO is strengthening its understanding of the history of each infection case “so that we can really understand the chain of transmission” and isolate each contact case, Dr. Ancia said.
Outlining the challenges, the WHO representative said treatment centers are “at saturation point.”
“I visited treatment centers in and around Bunia, Beni, Butembo and Katwa, and met with frontline workers responsible for patient care, contact tracing, alert investigation and community sensitization and mobilization,” he said, praising the first responders. “I witnessed firsthand the dedication of staff who continue to serve their communities despite enormous challenges.”
Not all needs can be met
The current outbreak was declared on May 15 and has been spreading in areas marked by active conflict, displacement and overwhelmed health services.
“Today we do not have enough ambulances,” said Dr. Ancia, warning that not all needs in Ituri province can be met.
Positive gains amid challenges
Among the encouraging developments are the progress made in testing, as daily capacity has increased from 30 tests in Kinshasa to more than 2,000, “thanks to 10 decentralized laboratories established in the affected provinces,” explained the WHO representative, with the most recent opening of a laboratory in Bunia.
Another positive step is the start of a clinical trial on July 2 to identify effective treatment options, as there is no approved and proven cure for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. The trial will evaluate two promising therapies, a monoclonal antibody, MBP134, and the antiviral remdesivir.
“These drugs will be given alone or in combination to evaluate their potential to improve survival among people with Bundibugyo virus disease,” Dr. Ancia said.
There are more than 1,200 treatment doses available and additional therapies may be incorporated into the trial as new evidence emerges.
Violent clashes
The security situation in eastern DRC remains highly unstable amid violent clashes between DRC forces and armed militias in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
In late June, James Swan, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, told the Security Council that intense fighting continued between the Fleuve Congo Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), supported by Rwandan forces, and the Congolese Army (FARDC) allied with the Wazalendo armed group.
Rwanda has consistently denied such allegations.
Investigated Daily Alerts
In the areas of North Kivu controlled by the de facto authorities, he said, “we are working to reinforce community surveillance to ensure that there are no more cases,” noting that “every day” a large number of alerts arrive from laboratories on the ground and that they are being followed up.
When asked about a claim by the M23 group that Ebola had been eradicated in areas under its control, Dr Ancia confirmed having received information indicating that there were no more cases in those areas and that “all contact cases had been released”.
“For now, indeed, we have no reports of confirmed cases” in the area, he stated.
