Overview
- The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, began in Ituri province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola variant.
- WHO says the epidemic is advancing faster than current response capacity and reports about 101 confirmed cases, more than 900 suspected cases and roughly 220 deaths under investigation.
- The virus has crossed into Uganda, where authorities have confirmed multiple cases and at least one death, prompting traveler screening and hospital checks in several countries including Italy and Mexico.
- Response is constrained by armed conflict, attacks on treatment sites, large displacements, community distrust and delayed PCR diagnoses that force longer isolations and strain facilities.
- Africa CDC has put ten neighbouring countries at high risk and says hundreds of millions of dollars in funding are needed while WHO urges trials of monoclonal antibodies and antivirals alongside scaled operational support.