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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread further, with cases now reported across 61 health zones in six provinces.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) disclosed this in its latest outbreak situation update issued on Thursday, confirming the expansion to Kayna Health Zone in North Kivu. The affected provinces are Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo.
The WHO said transmission remained variable, with some health zones recording continued increases in cases despite ongoing response efforts. It warned that delayed detection was increasing the risk of transmission within households, communities and healthcare facilities.
Limited access to early treatment and difficulties interrupting transmission have also complicated the response, the agency said.
The WHO called for stronger surveillance, rapid response measures and early treatment to help control the spread.
As of September 7, the DRC had recorded 6,757 confirmed Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 3,267 deaths.
According to the WHO, the figures give the outbreak a crude case fatality ratio of 48.3 per cent.
The latest development comes less than a month after the WHO described the outbreak as the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. At the time, 4,449 confirmed cases had been recorded across 53 health zones in five provinces.
The WHO had warned that the outbreak was spreading faster than previous Ebola outbreaks at the same stage and could potentially surpass the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which remains the largest recorded Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola for which there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for the disease. The Ervebo vaccine targets the Zaire species, which has caused several previous outbreaks.
In August, the WHO said it was detecting many cases in communities rather than treatment centres and outside known contact lists. The agency said this suggested that some chains of transmission remained unidentified.
Response measures include contact tracing, treatment centres, safe burial teams, laboratories and community engagement activities.
The WHO said the continued geographical expansion highlights the need for stronger surveillance, early detection and timely treatment, particularly in affected communities and healthcare facilities.
