Deadliest Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to another province as fast-moving crisis reaches 9,400 cases

Outbreak reaches another province

Authorities say the outbreak has reached an eighth province in Congo. It was declared in mid-May and is the deadliest in the country’s history, with at least 9,400 cases recorded, including more than 4,500 deaths.

Government data shows that 66 health zones have been affected since the outbreak began. Ituri, in eastern Congo, remains the epicenter, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases.

A rare Ebola strain

The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a less commonly encountered Ebola strain than Zaire ebolavirus. There is no approved vaccine or treatment for it, and it has caused only two previous outbreaks.

The strain was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during an outbreak in 2007-2008, which infected 149 people and killed 37. In 2012, an outbreak in Isiro, Congo, reported 57 cases and 29 deaths.

Movement and violence complicate response

The virus has spread beyond Congo, including into neighbouring Uganda, which has since declared itself free of the disease. Mass population movements, rebel violence, mistrust and poor working conditions for frontline workers are contributing to the outbreak’s spread.

How the virus spreads

Bundibugyo virus can spread through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease. Contact with contaminated items, including clothing, bedding, needles and medical equipment, can also transmit it.

Contact with infected animals, such as bats and nonhuman primates, is another route. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain; unexplained bleeding or bruising can occur at a late stage.