Five weeks after the declaration of the Ebola Bundibugyo epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the virus remains far from contained. Response efforts have undoubtedly intensified, but they still struggle to outpace a pathogen that continues to advance, cross borders and claim lives.
Scaling up is not enough
Tangible progress has been made. Bed capacity for patients has surged from fewer than 10 to over 500 across 19 health centres in affected areas. Testing capacity has followed suit: from 30 tests per day at the onset, the DRC now conducts more than 2 000 daily in nine laboratories covering three provinces. More than 100 recoveries have been recorded, underscoring that early care can mean the difference between life and death.
Yet the overall toll remains heavy: 1 094 confirmed cases and 277 deaths to date. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the epidemic continues to outpace the response. Contact tracing is insufficient, isolation capacity falls short of needs, and safe burials remain a daily challenge in communities that are often distrustful or hard to reach.
A virus that knows no borders
The outbreak has now spread well beyond the Congolese provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Neighbouring Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, all linked to the Congolese strain. Even more concerning, France reported its first case on European soil this Wednesday: a humanitarian doctor from the NGO ALIMA, returning from a mission in the DRC, tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo. He is being treated in a specialised facility and is in stable condition. An epidemiological investigation is under way to identify and monitor his contacts.
This case is a stark reminder of the price paid by frontline health workers. Nearly 80 healthcare personnel have been infected since the crisis began, prompting the WHO to urge states to ensure secure deployment conditions for their humanitarian staff, including the possibility of rapid medical evacuation in the event of contamination.
Response hampered, funding insufficient
Beyond health obstacles, the response faces structural constraints that complicate every intervention. Border closures hinder the movement of teams and equipment. Security incidents are multiplying in a region plagued by decades of armed conflict. And funding remains slow to materialise, even as the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a continental plan valued at $518 million.
A glimmer of hope, however, is a clinical trial evaluating two antivirals, MBP134 and remdesivir, set to begin next week in the DRC. Led by a consortium that includes the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research, ALIMA, the University of Oxford and the WHO, and supported by donations from the United States and Gilead Sciences, this trial could mark a decisive turning point in the fight against an epidemic that, five weeks after its emergence, is far from under control.