Ebola DRC Tops 1,000 Cases as WHO Rushes Vaccines to Ituri Province

KINSHASA — The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has crossed 1,000 suspected cases, according to the latest data from health monitoring organisations. The World Health Organisation has rushed emergency vaccine supplies to Ituri Province as it races to contain an outbreak that has now spread to multiple health zones and claimed over 200 confirmed deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation in Ituri Province remains extremely serious. He said the combination of active conflict in the region, community resistance to health workers, and the escape of 18 suspected patients from a treatment centre in Mongbwalu has created an unprecedented containment challenge.

The WHO said it has deployed enough vaccine doses to protect frontline health workers, close contacts of confirmed cases, and high-risk community members in the most affected health zones. The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine, which proved highly effective during the 2018 to 2020 DRC outbreak, is being administered under a ring vaccination strategy.

However, medical experts have cautioned that the vaccine’s effectiveness against the current Bundibugyo strain is less well established than against the Zaire strain that the 2018 to 2020 outbreak involved. Clinical data on Bundibugyo vaccine efficacy is still being collected and analysed.

Community Resistance Challenge

The most difficult obstacle to containing the outbreak remains community resistance. In Ituri Province, armed groups, historical mistrust of the government and international organisations, and misinformation about Ebola and its treatment have all contributed to communities actively impeding response efforts.

The May 23 attack on the Mongbwalu treatment centre, which allowed 18 suspected patients to escape, was carried out by community members who believed false information about what was happening inside the facility. Contact tracers are still working to locate all 18 escaped individuals. Some have reportedly been found and persuaded to return to care voluntarily.

Community engagement specialists said the only sustainable solution to this resistance is sustained, culturally appropriate outreach that involves trusted local leaders. They said communities must be treated as partners in the response, not as obstacles to be overcome.

Nigeria’s Continued Vigilance

Nigeria’s NCDC confirmed on Thursday that the country still has no confirmed Ebola cases. Enhanced surveillance at airports and land borders continues. The agency said all travellers from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan are being screened on arrival.

The NCDC also warned against a fresh wave of Ebola misinformation circulating on Nigerian social media. Several false reports of Ebola cases in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano have been circulating on WhatsApp and must be ignored. The agency said it will issue immediate public statements if any suspected case is identified.

Global health experts said the world cannot afford another extended Ebola outbreak on the scale of the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic that killed over 11,000 people. They said the window for containment is narrowing with every passing day and that a massive scaling up of resources and political commitment is needed immediately.