(Bloomberg) -- The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached a new health zone over 100 miles from its origin in Mongbwalu, with health officials reporting that they are tracking fewer than 40% of known contacts in the affected areas. According to the National Institute of Public Health, only 39.3% of identified contacts are being actively monitored in Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 94% of confirmed infections. This brings the total number of affected health zones nationwide to 24.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is noted as one of the most complex in recent years, exacerbated by factors such as insecurity, population movements, and distrust of authorities. Currently, over 4,000 contacts are under follow-up across three affected provinces, but surveillance teams have reached less than half of these individuals.
In neighboring Uganda, six new cases were confirmed, raising the total to 15 infections, including one death. In Congo, health officials have recorded 344 confirmed infections and 60 confirmed deaths, with the death toll updated from 48 due to delays in treatment and community deaths.
On June 1, 23 new confirmed cases were reported, including 11 in Mongbwalu and six in Bunia, Ituri’s capital. The report highlighted the escape of four confirmed cases as a significant risk for community transmission.
Community resistance to containment efforts remains a significant challenge, with reports of attacks on Red Cross teams conducting safe burials and ongoing resistance to contact tracing efforts. Additionally, there are persistent rumors regarding traditional healers offering plant-based cures for Ebola, leading to fears that vaccination campaigns could be misconstrued as efforts to spread the virus.
Preliminary data suggest a potential decline in community transmission, but officials caution that the data remains incomplete. Recent research indicates that licensed Ebola vaccines may provide partial immune responses against the Bundibugyo strain, although findings have not yet undergone peer review.
