Ebola cases top 4,000 in DRC as WHO urges Ervebo vaccine trial

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 4,000, according to government data, as the world’s second-largest outbreak shows no sign of slowing.

As health authorities remain on alert, World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine experts on Friday recommended a full-scale human trial of the only existing approved Ebola vaccine to see if it could offer cross-protection against the deadly Bundibugyo strain spreading in DRC, a strain for which there is no vaccine.

DRC reported 4,053 Bundibugyo cases, including 1,850 deaths, since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, the latest Ministry of Health situation report showed.

The outbreak has hit 53 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo. Eighty-seven percent of cases are in Ituri province, the epicentre of the current outbreak, with 11 percent in neighbouring North Kivu.

The epidemic has been described as the ⁠fastest-spreading on record, and experts believe the true number of cases may be much ‌higher than the official tally.

So far only West Africa’s 2014-2016 outbreak has been bigger, with more than 28,000 cases recorded ‌across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The disease response has also faced challenges including the country’s military conflict , delayed detection and a lack of readily available treatments and vaccines, as Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids.

On Friday, the WHO recommended the commencement of full-scale human trials for the Ervebo vaccine, the only licensed Ebola vaccine.