“The true scale of the epidemic has not yet been fully established,” said Dr Anne Ancia, WHO representative in the DRC.
“We would like to say that the situation is stabilizing, but frankly we cannot say that yet,” she said.
Speaking from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province at the heart of the outbreak, Dr Ancia told reporters in Geneva that as of July 4, the country’s government had recorded 1,561 confirmed cases, including 506 deaths and 254 people recovered. More than 10,000 contacts are monitored.
Centers at “saturation point”
To support the government-led response, the WHO is strengthening its understanding of the history of each infection case “so we can really understand the chain of transmission” and isolate each contact case, Dr Ancia said.
Highlighting the challenges, the WHO representative said treatment centers are “at saturation point.”
“I visited treatment centers in and around Bunia, Beni, Butembo, Katwa, and met frontline workers responsible for patient care, contact tracing, alert investigation and community awareness and mobilization,” she said, commending the speakers. “I have witnessed the dedication of staff who continue to serve their community despite enormous challenges. »
Not all needs can be met
The current outbreak was declared on May 15 and has spread to areas marked by active conflict, population displacement and overwhelmed health services.
“Today we do not have enough ambulances,” said Dr. Ancia, warning that not all needs in Ituri province can be met.
Positive gains despite challenges
Among the encouraging developments is the progress made in testing, as daily capacity has increased from 30 tests in Kinshasa to more than 2,000, “thanks to 10 decentralized laboratories established in the affected provinces”, explained the WHO representative, the most recent laboratory being opened in Bunia.
Another positive step is the start of a clinical trial on July 2 aimed at identifying effective treatment options, as there is no approved and proven cure for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. The trial will evaluate two promising therapies, a monoclonal antibody, MBP134, and the antiviral remdesivir.
“These drugs will be administered alone or in combination to assess their potential to improve the survival of people with Bundibugyo virus disease,” said Dr. Ancia.
More than 1,200 treatment doses are available and additional therapies may be added to the trial as new evidence emerges.
Violent clashes
The security situation in eastern DRC remains very unstable amid violent clashes between DRC forces and armed militias in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
In late June, James Swan, head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, told the Security Council that heavy fighting continued between the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), supported by Rwandan forces, and the Congolese Army (FARDC) allied with the Wazalendo armed group.
Rwanda has always denied these allegations.
Daily alerts studied
In areas of North Kivu controlled by de facto authorities, she said “we are working to strengthen community surveillance to make sure there are no more cases,” noting that a high number of alerts come in “every day” from laboratories on the ground and are followed up.
Asked about a claim by the M23 group that Ebola had been eradicated in areas under its control, Dr Ancia confirmed having received information indicating that there were no more cases in those areas and that “all contact cases had been released”.
“For the moment, in fact, we do not have any confirmed cases” in the region, she said.
