Ebola cases increase almost 40% in a week as death toll passes 200
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- Africa CDC reported 894 confirmed Ebola cases and over 200 deaths in the Congo-Uganda outbreak, a 38% case increase in one week now spanning 32 health zones in eastern Congo
- Dr. Wessam Mankoula of Africa CDC said the current outbreak is three times worse than Uganda's 2000 outbreak at the same point in its trajectory
- Experimental treatments like monoclonal antibodies are being developed for the Bundibugyo virus, which unlike the more common Zaire strain has no approved vaccines or treatments
- Ituri province accounts for over 90% of cases, and its remoteness, ongoing conflict, and nearly one million displaced people have left only 4,000 of an estimated 17,000–35,000 contacts under surveillance—less than 15%
- International donors have released just $90 million of the $900 million+ pledged to fight the outbreak, and Africa CDC has only 84 of the 540 personnel it estimates are needed
- Uganda has recorded 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, while 74 patients have recovered across eastern Congo and Uganda combined
Why it matters: With less than 15% of contacts traced, just 84 of 540 needed personnel deployed, and only $90 million of $900 million+ in pledges actually released, the response is running at a fraction of required capacity—gaps that compound in a conflict zone where nearly one million people are displaced and cross-border spread to Uganda is already confirmed.
