The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has now claimed more than 1,000 lives, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) confirmed this week. Speaking at a health summit in Accra, Ghana, Dr. Jean Kaseya, the agency's director-general, reported 1,031 confirmed deaths. “These are people dying. They are dying because we don’t have vaccines, we don’t have medicine, we don’t have funding,” he said.
The DRC’s Ministry of Health recorded 2,473 Ebola cases as of Monday, with at least 737 patients in isolation or receiving hospital treatment. Declared on 15 May, the outbreak has become the fastest-growing in history. Unlike most previous outbreaks, it is driven by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist.
Outbreak Outpacing Response
Health officials warn that around 80% of new cases are emerging outside known chains of transmission, indicating the virus is spreading faster than authorities can track. The epicentre remains Ituri province, but cases have been recorded in four other provinces. “It’s like the outbreak is outrunning the response,” said Trish Newport, emergency program manager for Médecins Sans Frontières, who has been working in the DRC.
Last month, researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used computer modelling to estimate the outbreak’s potential trajectory. In a worst-case scenario, they warned it could approach the scale of the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people from at least 28,000 cases. Dr. Jean Nachega, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh advising African health authorities, said he does not expect the outbreak to reach that level but acknowledged the challenges remain “huge.”
Oxford Launches First Human Trial
In a significant development, the University of Oxford’s Vaccine Group last week launched the world’s first human clinical trial of a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo virus. The Phase I trial, taking place in Oxford, will assess safety and immune response in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55. This is a critical step, as the current outbreak has already killed more people at a faster rate than any previous Ebola outbreak, including the 2013–2016 epidemic.
Ebola is a rare but highly contagious disease transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, and semen. It causes severe illness and is often fatal. The World Health Organization has suggested the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official figures indicate.
European readers may recall the Oxford trial as a beacon of hope, but the crisis underscores broader global health inequities. The lack of vaccines and treatments for this strain highlights the need for sustained investment in pandemic preparedness, a topic that resonates across the continent as Europe continues to grapple with its own health challenges, from wildfire smoke to rising healthcare costs.
Authorities in the DRC are stepping up their response, but experts warn the crisis could worsen. The Africa CDC has called for urgent international funding and support. As Dr. Kaseya put it, “These are people dying.”
