Overview
- Three months into the declared emergency the DRC has reported about 4,381 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 2,000 deaths, with roughly half of recent fatalities occurring in the prior 20 days.
- There are no licensed vaccines or strain-specific therapies for the Bundibugyo virus, so vaccine trials have been authorised in Canada and the UK and treatment trials are enrolling in Ituri province.
- Violence, attacks on treatment sites and deep community mistrust are stopping response teams from reaching many sick people, and WHO says 60 to 70 percent of Ebola deaths are now occurring in the community before patients reach care.
- WHO and partners are expanding front-line capacity, including doubling beds at the Lita treatment centre to 80, and are supporting cross-border preparedness and training for neighbouring Rwanda.
- Health authorities and Africa CDC have opened investigations into possible viral change and genetic sequencing, and officials say trial results and surveillance data should be watched closely for signs of mutation or wider regional spread.