There is no treatment or vaccine! The Ebola outbreak in Congo is growing

The Ebola outbreak declared in May in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly. In the outbreak that emerged in the eastern province of Ituri, the total number of cases has risen to 7,404, with 3,577 deaths. Health officials said there is still no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo variant that caused the outbreak.

The outbreak spread to 62 districts in 7 provinces.

The Ebola outbreak was officially declared on May 15 after 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths were identified in the Ituri province.

While the virus spread across the country in a short time, it was reported that the outbreak had reached 62 districts in 7 provinces. According to Ministry of Health data, the total number of cases rose to 7,404, with 3,577 people dead. It was announced that 1,776 patients had recovered so far.

Vaccination Efforts Accelerated

Vaccination and surveillance work continues as part of the fight against the outbreak. It was reported that 23 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours.

While it was noted that no new cases had been detected in the Haut-Uele, South Kivu, and South Ubangi provinces, officials accelerated vaccination efforts in some areas.

As health surveillance at border crossings is intensified, public information campaigns to protect citizens from the outbreak continue.

Ebola First Detected in 1976

The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in the towns of Nzara in Sudan and Yambuku in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus began to be named after the Ebola River because the first outbreak in Congo occurred near that river.

During the Ebola outbreak that occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2017, the virus infected about 30,000 people and killed more than 11,000.

The current outbreak that began in May in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was announced to stem from the Bundibugyo variant. Health officials said that no approved vaccine or treatment exists for this specific variant.