The Democratic Republic of Congo’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak has recorded more than 9,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths, health authorities said on Tuesday.
The outbreak was officially declared in mid-May, although experts believe the virus may have been circulating for weeks or months before it was detected.
The country’s 17th Ebola outbreak began in Ituri province in northeastern DR Congo and has since spread to seven provinces across the north and east.
The response has been hampered by limited healthcare resources, the presence of armed groups and distrust among some local communities towards medical workers and humanitarian personnel.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
However, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that a clinical trial for a vaccine against the strain was scheduled to begin in DR Congo this month.
In the meantime, frontline volunteers have received doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is effective against the Zaire strain of Ebola but is not approved for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak.
