Ebola accelerates spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 438 dead as WHO begins experimental treatments

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expanding at an alarming pace, with the death toll having reached 438.

The National Institute of Public Health announced that 1,406 cases and 438 deaths have been identified so far, translating into a fatality rate of 31.2%. The main hotspot remains Ituri province, but cases have also been recorded in North Kivu and South Kivu.

Health authorities also confirmed a new infection in Kisangani, a major city located around 600 kilometers from the epicenter of the outbreak, raising concerns about the further spread of the virus.

In Kisangani, the situation has worsened even further after a 24-year-old woman tested positive for Ebola, after her body had been secretly brought from the Nia Nias area. Authorities have warned that transporting the bodies of victims poses a high risk for the spread of the disease, since Ebola is easily transmitted during funeral rites.

The World Health Organization, which has classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern, said clinical trials have begun for two experimental treatments against the virus.

WHO explained that the first patient has already been enrolled in this clinical trial involving two experimental treatments. The organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described this development as an important step in the fight against the virus.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and it was declared on May 15. It is caused by the Budibugyo variant of the virus, for which there is currently neither a vaccine nor an approved treatment.

Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the epidemic, authorities are also facing opposition from residents. In the Nia Nia region, an Ebola treatment center was burned by protesters who opposed the measures taken by health authorities.

During these incidents, seven suspected patients left isolation, a police officer lost his life, and two other people were injured.

According to experts, these events, combined with a lack of protective equipment and overcrowding at treatment centers, are making it even more difficult to contain the epidemic, which is considered one of the worst the country has experienced in recent years.

Uganda has also reported 20 Ebola cases, including two deaths, while a case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a virus similar to Ebola, has also recently been confirmed.

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, called on countries to cooperate at the international level, declaring that “epidemics know no borders” and that regional coordination is essential to stop the spread of the disease.