The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Sunday that more recoveries are anticipated, particularly when individuals receive early diagnosis, access care, and outbreak response efforts intensify. The agency reported that a total of five people have recovered from the virus, with a laboratory worker discharged on Thursday after making a full recovery.
This development comes as a UN-backed response to the Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is being scaled up. The WHO describes the disease as one that “you can catch if you are looking after someone.” Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or treatment available.
As of Sunday, the country had recorded 210 confirmed infections and 17 confirmed deaths. Approximately 350 suspected cases are under investigation. During this latest outbreak, 16 health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have contracted Ebola.
Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, essential response measures have been implemented. These include laboratory testing, disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, community engagement, and resource mobilization.
In Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the likely epicenter of the outbreak, WHO has handed over a renovated Ebola Treatment Centre to health authorities. The facility has a 24-bed capacity, bringing the total capacity to 60 beds. WHO is also establishing an additional wing with up to 42 beds.
Controlling the Ebola outbreak is complicated by the dire humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region rich in resources. Decades of conflict have left 1.2 million people in need of assistance in Ituri province alone. The spread of the virus is concentrated in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
Treatments Under Development
While there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus that causes Ebola, WHO advisory groups have identified several promising candidate treatments and vaccines for evaluation in clinical trials.
WHO’s role involves working alongside health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to facilitate this process.
For confirmed cases, three candidate therapeutics have been prioritized for clinical trials: monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab, along with the antiviral remdesivir.
For prevention, the oral antiviral obeldesivir is being prioritized in a clinical study as a post-exposure measure for individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases.
According to WHO, two candidate vaccines have also been identified for evaluation once doses become available.
Tedros Calls for Solidarity
The organization has emphasized the crucial role of community engagement in halting the transmission of the virus, which has a mortality rate ranging from 30% to 50%.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in Bunia over the weekend, “Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care, and some people here have already recovered. Getting help early makes a big difference… It is not hopeless.”
In an update on Friday, WHO highlighted that the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda was “evolving rapidly with increasing case numbers, geographic spread, and ongoing cross-border transmission.” A US national who had been treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to receive treatment in Germany for an additional confirmed case.
