A fast-moving outbreak of Ebola virus disease linked to the Bundibugyo strain is still gaining ground in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization has warned.
Officials have confirmed at least 1,561 cases and 506 deaths, while more than 10,000 contacts are under surveillance. The true extent of the crisis remains uncertain, they said, as treatment centres are stretched beyond capacity and operations are undermined by conflict, population displacement and scarce resources.
Even so, testing has expanded markedly with the rollout of decentralised laboratories, and a clinical trial is under way to assess two potential therapies — MBP134 and remdesivir — for the Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved cure.
