In July, Oxford University started the first human trial on a possible vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), but there is, as yet, no officially licensed vaccine or treatment. And with a fatality rate as high as 65 per cent in some areas, stopping its spread is the only sure way to keep people safe.
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s also already the fastest-spreading and the second worst in terms of loss of life.
By 5 September:
- There had been 6,522 confirmed cases and 3,134 confirmed deaths. As an average, that means close to half of all infections were fatal.
- 1,516 people had been recorded as having recovered, and 1,799 were in Ebola Treatment Centers or Transit Centers.
- Transmission had expanded to 61 Health Zones across six provinces, with Ituri province accounting for 80.91 per cent of all cases, and North Kivu reporting a particularly high fatality rate of 65.84 per cent.
- 141 healthcare workers had been infected, with 43 deaths among medical staff.
Exacerbating factors in the spread
The severity of the epidemic has been amplified by:
- Armed conflict causing populations to have to move, enabling the disease to spread further and faster, and also reducing access to vital resources like water and health care;
- People moving around the country for other reasons;
- Inadequate water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services;
- Misinformation;
- Mistrust of healthcare professionals; and
- Deaths occurring in communities where there is no (or inadequate) access to healthcare, or where contact with others can’t be traced.
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