The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) could become the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever recorded if it continues at its present rate, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the 2026 outbreak was on course to “eclipse” the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, which claimed at least 11,000 lives.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and has so far recorded at least 4,300 cases and more than 2,000 deaths.
The WHO said on Wednesday that it hoped to bring transmission under control within three months, while stressing that this would not necessarily mean the outbreak itself had been completely eliminated.
Health officials believe the virus began spreading several months before the outbreak was officially declared. WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi said investigations indicated transmission may have started as early as February, with some early cases initially mistaken for malaria or typhoid.
“We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,” Janabi said during a news conference in Bunia, near the centre of the outbreak.
The current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has previously been responsible for only two known outbreaks, in 2007 and 2012. There is currently no approved vaccine or recognised therapeutic treatment specifically targeting this strain.
Efforts to contain the virus have also been complicated by ongoing instability in eastern DR Congo, with health workers reportedly reaching only around 30% of cases, according to Janabi.
Ebola is a rare but potentially fatal viral disease. Symptoms can develop between two and 21 days after infection and may initially resemble illnesses such as flu or malaria, including fever, headaches and fatigue. As the infection progresses, patients can develop vomiting and diarrhoea, potentially leading to organ failure.
The virus can spread between people through contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and vomit.
Meanwhile, there has been progress towards developing a vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo strain. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the first human trials of a candidate vaccine developed by a team at the University of Oxford.
The vaccine uses technology similar to that behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Three other research groups are also developing potential Bundibugyo vaccines, although their candidates have yet to enter clinical trials.
The WHO is separately supporting a clinical trial in DR Congo to determine whether two existing antiviral treatments can improve survival among patients infected with the virus.
