The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola epidemic is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, as the death toll from the Bundibugyo strain surpassed 1,700. The outbreak, declared on 15 May, has now recorded more than 3,800 cases and is the second-largest and fastest-growing Ebola epidemic on record.
The crisis is overwhelmingly concentrated in Ituri province, though infections have reached five other provinces. Contact tracing is faltering, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya warned, with most new cases arising outside monitored chains. Strikes by unpaid health workers in hotspots including Bunia and Mongbwalu have further hampered the response. More than 100 healthcare workers have been infected.
The United States has pledged an additional $242 million in emergency funding. Clinical trials for vaccines and treatments are underway, but no approved therapies yet exist for the Bundibugyo variant. Neighbouring Uganda declared itself Ebola-free in June.