Mirian Gom 
CONGO – An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed 2,011 people out of 4,381 confirmed cases, authorities say, making it one of the deadliest outbreaks in the country’s history.
The DRC Ebola outbreak has a case fatality rate of 45.9%, according to Congolese health authorities, as the highly contagious disease continues to spread across conflict-affected areas in the country’s east and northeast.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 but is believed to have been circulating for several weeks before it was detected.
It is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak and has already surpassed several previous outbreaks in terms of recorded deaths. The current toll is approaching the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak, which occurred between 2018 and 2020 and killed nearly 2,300 people among about 3,500 recorded cases.
Sania Nishtar, chief executive of the Gavi vaccine alliance, has described the current outbreak as the largest in the DRC’s history and warned that it “could well become the largest outbreak ever”.
On Friday, experts advising the World Health Organisation recommended a full-scale human trial of Ervebo, the only approved Ebola vaccine, to determine whether it can provide protection against the strain.
Ervebo has been shown to be safe and effective against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola. WHO experts say early evidence, particularly from animal studies, suggests the vaccine may also provide some protection against Bundibugyo Ebola.
Two potential vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain are currently in the early stages of human clinical trials, while another candidate is being developed towards clinical testing.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
The rising death toll and continuing transmission are placing further pressure on health authorities and response teams operating in regions already affected by conflict and insecurity.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 