Ebola outbreak passes 10,000 cases in DR Congo as Nigeria traces 53 contacts
- DR Congo has recorded 10,060 Ebola cases and 4,887 deaths since May, its worst outbreak yet.
- The WHO says 50 to 80 new confirmed cases are being reported in DR Congo every day.
- Nigeria's only confirmed case, a Swiss woman, has been evacuated to Switzerland; 53 contacts are being traced.
Africa's latest Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, with the vast majority in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congolese health authorities said on Tuesday.
DR Congo's public health institute put the toll at 10,060 infections and 4,887 deaths since the virus was detected in May. It is the country's deadliest outbreak on record and the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind the 2014–2016 West African outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the situation remains severe. Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, told Arise News on Wednesday that DR Congo is reporting 50 to 80 new confirmed cases every day.
"We're now at 10,000 cases and close to 5,000 deaths," he said. "The situation is still very dire."
Eight provinces are affected, an area he compared to eight Nigerian states. The outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Why it matters for Nigeria
Nigeria has confirmed one case: a 42-year-old Swiss woman, the wife of a Swiss embassy employee in Abuja, who fell ill after travelling to Uganda with her husband. She was evacuated to a hospital in Geneva on Monday.
Nigerian health authorities have identified 53 of her contacts as they work to stop the virus spreading in Africa's most populous country. The WHO said she developed symptoms on October 7, sought care in Abuja on October 11 and tested positive on October 20.
Some experts are worried the virus could have spread after the couple landed in Nigeria on October 3, because Ebola passes through contact with bodily fluids.
Uganda, where the woman is believed to have caught the virus, was declared Ebola-free by the WHO in late August after 20 cases and two deaths. A Ugandan government spokesperson dismissed the idea that she contracted the disease there.
Kenya, which had no cases until October 6, has reported nine infections and two deaths, most in people who had recently travelled to DR Congo.
Response under strain
In DR Congo, distrust has hampered the response. The WHO said a nurse was killed and a health worker seriously wounded in Tshopo province on Saturday, and the Ebola treatment centre where it happened has shut down.
Dr Mohamed Janabi, the WHO's regional director for Africa, said many patients are dying without being reached. "We are only seeing 30 percent of infected people, while 70 percent of people are dying at home," he said.
Testing has begun on whether the Ervebo vaccine, already effective against the more common Zaire strain, can protect against Bundibugyo. The Gavi vaccine alliance said doses from its stockpile would be made available for the trials.
What happens next: Nigerian health officials will keep monitoring the 53 contacts. Uganda said citizens returning from DR Congo will be quarantined for 21 days. Trial results on the Ervebo vaccine are awaited.
