Overview
- The DRC government and WHO reported 1,561 confirmed cases, 506 deaths and 254 recoveries as of 4 July, with more than 10,000 contacts under monitoring.
- The outbreak was declared on 15 May and has expanded across Ituri and the Kivu provinces, placing treatment centres at or near saturation and leaving ambulance fleets short.
- Daily testing capacity has jumped from about 30 to more than 2,000 tests after 10 decentralized laboratories were set up in affected provinces.
- A clinical trial that began on 2 July is testing the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir to find effective treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.
- Responders warn that active fighting, mass displacement, local mistrust and weakened global health capacity could hide many cases and raise the risk that Bundibugyo Ebola becomes entrenched in the region.