WHO raises alarm as Bundibugyo virus outbreak nears 5,000 cases

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… 2,300 dead as epidemic spreads across 55 health zones in DRC

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… Says outbreak moving at “unprecedented speed”

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.. Two new vaccines enter human trials as response races against time

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By Chioma Obinna

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday warned that the deadly Bundibugyo virus disease epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is far from being under control as infections approach 5,000 and deaths surpass 2,300.

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WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, gave the grim assessment on Tuesday as the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee on the outbreak opened.

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According to Tedros, the epidemic has spread rapidly across six provinces and 55 health zones, driven by insecurity, displacement and intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes.

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He described the outbreak as the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, warning that it was spreading faster than any previous Ebola epidemic.

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“That’s why I call it unprecedented speed,” Tedros told members of the Emergency Committee.

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Three months ago, the WHO chief determined that the epidemic constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

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But despite an intensifying international response, he said the outbreak remained a major threat. “We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control. It had a big head start, and we are still playing catch-up.”

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Tedros said one of the most worrying features of the outbreak was the number of people dying outside formal treatment facilities and outside the lists of known contacts.

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“What concerns me most is where people are dying: at home, in their communities, outside treatment centres, and outside known contact lists.”

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He warned that every such death could represent an unidentified chain of transmission.

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“Every death like that points to a chain of transmission we have not yet found. Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue.”

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The situation is further complicated by population movement, with the WHO warning that the risk extends beyond the DRC’s borders.

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Uganda, according to Tedros, has already stopped transmission following an initial spillover, with the WHO chief commending the Ugandan government and its people for what he described as a decisive response.

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But the virus has nevertheless crossed another international border. “Last month, a traveller carried the virus to France. Borders may slow a response; they do not stop a virus.”

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Under the leadership of the DRC government, WHO, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners are scaling up the response.

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Measures include strengthening community-based surveillance, expanding treatment capacity, supporting safe and dignified burials and working with communities to build trust in the response. Scientists are also accelerating efforts to develop vaccines and treatments.

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For the first time, two vaccines specifically designed against Bundibugyo virus have entered human trials, according to Tedros.

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A separate vaccine has demonstrated cross-protection in animal studies and is being advanced towards a Phase III trial.

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Meanwhile, the WHO-sponsored PARTNERS treatment trial has enrolled 100 patients, marking another step in the search for effective therapies.

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Despite the progress, Tedros said the international response needed to move faster.

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He called for improved data sharing, stronger surveillance, sustained financing, better access and security, and enhanced coordination between countries.

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“The risk does not stop at the DRC’s borders.”

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He stressed that the health crisis in the DRC extends beyond the virus, warning that the response must not come at the expense of other essential healthcare.

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People in the country are also facing threats from maternal mortality, diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia, malaria and cholera, among other health challenges.

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“Even as we fight to end this epidemic, we cannot allow the response to disrupt access to other essential health services,” Tedros said.

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The Emergency Committee, chaired by Professor Lucille Blumberg, is expected to assess the latest epidemiological situation and advise on temporary recommendations needed to contain the outbreak and prevent further international spread.

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