All articles tagged with #ebola
More than 300 people died in the past week in eastern Congo, marking one of the outbreak's deadliest periods, with 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths overall; Ituri remains the epicenter as the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine yet, though Ervebo doses have arrived and may be used in trials while frontline rollout faces access, security, and logistical challenges.
With 100 days into the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, leaders say the response hinges on community leadership—survivors, women, health workers and local groups—working with authorities to find cases, trace contacts, vaccinate, and ensure safe burials; Uganda’s success shows the approach can work, but the next phase must reach villages with protected facilities, reliable funding, and strong cross-border coordination to stop transmission.
DRC’s Ebola outbreak has risen to 5,515 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths (case fatality rate around 48%), with vaccine deliveries underway (16,250 doses arrived and 70,000 pledged) to tackle the Bundibugyo strain. Contact tracing improved to over 85%, but violence, displacement and attacks on health workers hinder containment. The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and Pope Leo urged global and local action to save lives as the response scales up, even as global risk remains low and internal risk stays high.
During the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged the international community to mobilize aid and involve local communities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives out of about 5,300 cases amid conflict; he also prayed for the victims of a mining collapse in the Central African Republic.
Congo has received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine from the WHO and partners as part of a 70,000-dose rollout to combat the fastest Ebola outbreak on record caused by the Bundibugyo virus; the vaccine—while not yet specific to Bundibugyo—may offer protection and is intended to help contain the spread as Congo reports 5,375 confirmed cases across six provinces and 2,557 deaths, with more doses expected early next week. Containment challenges include ongoing armed conflict, attacks on health workers and facilities, displacement, and weak infrastructure.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 Ervebo vaccine doses in Kinshasa—the first batch of a 70,000-dose pledge—while the Bundibugyo strain circulating there has no approved vaccine; 20,000 doses will be used in a late-stage trial, with the remainder for frontline health workers. The outbreak has killed more than 2,500 people out of about 5,300 confirmed cases, and transmission is described as exponential, with containment hindered by ongoing conflict and weak infrastructure.
Congo has received 16,000 doses of a potential Ebola vaccine and is kicking off outbreak awareness campaigns in Beni as frontline workers begin vaccination efforts in North Kivu.
In the DRC’s north‑east Ituri region, Ebola is spreading exponentially with over 2,500 deaths and more than 4,200 confirmed cases (mostly in Ituri). Frontline health workers say they have not been paid and face mounting risk as they try to contain the outbreak amid misinformation, mistrust and infrastructure gaps. The UN warns funds will run out within weeks as 160 health workers fall ill and 43 have died, highlighting that the outbreak is growing faster than the response and needs more international aid.
The UN warns the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading exponentially, with the death toll surpassing 2,500 as conflict, funding shortages, and attacks on health workers hinder containment; more than 260 attacks on health staff, 43 worker deaths, and no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, fuel urgent calls for more funding and personnel to curb regional spread.
DR Congo will test the Ervebo Ebola vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain in a clinical trial as the outbreak expands rapidly, with about 2,500 deaths reported. The WHO says infections are growing exponentially across the north and east. The plan allocates 20,000 doses for the trial and 50,000 for frontline health workers, in a bid to broaden protection beyond the Zaïre strain; the response is complicated by conflict, misdiagnosis early on, burial practices, and new movement restrictions imposed by the M23 rebel group to limit spread.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC has grown to 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths, marking it the largest in the country’s history, with underreporting, distrust in authorities, and cash shortages hindering containment. About 850 known positives are unaccounted for, raising transmission risk, as authorities switch to door-to-door, village-based surveillance. Vaccines and treatments are advancing—Ervebo may offer cross-protection and Bundibugyo-specific vaccines are in safety trials—but funding gaps persist: $518m is needed for direct health response, yet only $264m has been disbursed. If funding and response don’t accelerate, the outbreak could surpass earlier records in coming months.
DR Congo will receive 70,000 Ervebo Ebola vaccine doses from a global stockpile, including 20,000 for a late-stage trial on the Bundibugyo virus; Ervebo is not yet proven against Bundibugyo, while 50,000 doses will go to frontline health workers, funded by Gavi. The outbreak has killed about 2,476 people out of 5,208 confirmed cases, prompting intensified UN/WHO-led response and vaccination efforts.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which has proven effective in past outbreaks, to bolster efforts to contain Ebola in the region.
Congo's Ebola outbreak has climbed to 5,021 cases and 2,378 deaths, spreading faster than any prior outbreak and outpacing response efforts in Ituri and other remote regions; the World Health Organization warns that the risk of national and international spread remains high, with fatality rates varying by province (including about 70% in North Kivu). Challenges include insecurity, attacks on health workers, limited vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo virus, and difficulties reaching affected communities.
Congolese authorities report the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has reached 4,945 cases with 2,325 deaths, making it the deadliest in the country’s history and the fastest-spreading outbreak yet; the World Health Organization warns it could surpass the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak in pace, though there are no approved vaccines or treatments yet. Response challenges include unpaid health worker strikes, rebel threats, difficult terrain, and misinformation, while UN aid is scaling up with additional funding and staff as 101 new cases and 33 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours and more than 1,000 people have recovered.