Democratic Republic of the Congo Outbreak Nears 4,000 Cases as River Boat Is Quarantined Near Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo outbreak has led Congolese authorities to intercept and quarantine a river boat carrying about 200 passengers near Kinshasa after a traveler died of suspected Ebola, as the country's outbreak nears 4,000 confirmed cases and spreads faster than containment efforts. [3]

Boat Interception and Quarantine Near Kinshasa

Congolese authorities intercepted the Yingfeng 2 river boat on the Congo River before it could reach Kinshasa. [3] The vessel was halted near Bende Bende port, some 65km upstream from the capital. [3] Health Minister Roger Kamba said screening was being carried out as a precautionary measure after a passenger with fever and diarrhoea, who had left the boat in Mongala Province, died in hospital. [3] A further two adults, a three-year-old child and a newborn have also died. [3] Teams from the health ministry and the World Health Organization have boarded the boat and set up a mobile lab to conduct tests. [3] For now, no-one has tested positive, and it is likely no one will be positive after 21 days of incubation has elapsed, Kamba told reporters. [3] The boat was intercepted after carrying a man who later died of suspected Ebola, raising concerns about potential transmission along the Congo River route. [1] Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on Thursday that all passengers aboard the intercepted boat were tested, including those without symptoms, to ensure no infections were missed. [1] Pending laboratory results from the National Institute for Biomedical Research, the passengers have been prevented from entering Kinshasa and placed in isolation as a precaution. [1] The boat had sailed from northeastern Tshopo province, where a handful of Ebola cases have been confirmed so far. [5] One passenger fell ill after disembarking in neighbouring Mongala province and was transferred to hospital, where he later died. [5] Doctors have not confirmed whether or not he had Ebola, but authorities placed the boat under surveillance as a precaution. [5] All passengers and crew were due to be tested for potential infection. [5] The boat travelled more than 1,700km downstream towards Kinshasa before being intercepted. [3] Security services have been instructed to quarantine the Yingfeng 2 offshore in line with WHO standards to prevent potential spread of the virus into the capital. [3]

Outbreak Scale and Rapid Spread

The outbreak, declared in mid-May and caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has recorded 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths as of the latest figures, making it the second deadliest on record. [3] As of Monday, the outbreak has accounted for 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 deaths, DR Congo Ministry of Health data showed. [2] The number of confirmed cases stands at 3,973, including 1,801 deaths, according to the latest government data. [5] The Ebola outbreak is now the largest in the DRC's history and the second biggest in the world. [5] Nearly 90 percent of confirmed cases have been identified in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak. [5] The outbreak is concentrated in eastern DRC, the opposite side of the country from Kinshasa and its population of more than 17 million. [5] New cases are doubling in some hotspots, particularly in Ituri Province, the epicenter, where nearly 90 percent of cases are concentrated and health workers have gone on strike over unpaid salaries. [2] The outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization has warned. [5] WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday during a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it. [2] Tedros said new cases are doubling in some hot spots. [2]

Health Worker Strikes Threaten Response

Frontline health workers battling the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo say they are risking their lives without receiving the salaries they were promised, prompting strikes. [4] Healthcare workers involved in the Ebola response say they have gone for months without receiving their salaries despite working in some of the most dangerous conditions of the outbreak. [4] Wiza Bondele, a member of the Ebola infection prevention and control team who also worked during the country's 2018 outbreak, said workers launched a strike in July after authorities failed to address their concerns over unpaid wages and hazardous working conditions. [4] Some workers who eventually received payments were given $380 instead of the promised $510, while many others remained unpaid. [4] Bondele described working seven days a week in heavy personal protective equipment for extended periods, often longer than safety guidelines recommend. [4] In Ituri Province, families said many frontline workers have gone on strike, worsening access to healthcare that was already challenged by rebel conflict in one of DR Congo’s most remote and vulnerable areas. [2] Anicet Baluku, a resident of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, blamed the death of his two brothers from Ebola on the strike. [2] Georgine Imani, whose father died from Ebola, appealed to authorities to intensify efforts to find effective medicines and bring the outbreak under control. [4] Kaseya also sought to reassure the public over recent strikes by healthcare workers in eastern Congo, saying the government had committed funds to pay frontline staff. [1]

Vaccination and Treatment Strategies Under Consideration

Authorities are considering using Zaire-strain Ebola vaccines, with preliminary data suggesting vaccinated individuals experience only mild illness and zero deaths recorded among them. [1] Kaseya said authorities are considering using vaccines originally developed against the Zaire strain of Ebola to help curb the current outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. [1] According to Africa CDC, preliminary data suggest that people previously vaccinated against the Zaire strain may still contract Bundibugyo Ebola, but experience only mild illness. [1] More importantly, Kaseya said, no deaths have been recorded among vaccinated individuals. [1] The current outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. [5] On Tuesday, Canada gave the go-ahead to US pharmaceutical giant Moderna to begin clinical trials of a candidate vaccine against Bundibugyo. [5] In late July, a volunteer received the first dose of another potential vaccine against Bundibugyo, developed by Britain's Oxford University using the same technology as the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. [5] Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories is working on bringing a third potential Bundibugyo jab to human trials. [5] Three potential treatments are currently being tested on confirmed Ebola patients in Ituri. [5]

International Support and Scaling Up Efforts

The US has pledged an additional $242 million for response efforts, while three potential treatments are being tested and vaccine trials for Bundibugyo are advancing in multiple countries. [2] The United States announced on Wednesday that it had allocated more than $242 million in additional funding to combat the worsening outbreak. [5] Tedros was due to meet President Felix Tshisekedi. [5] A new 100-bed Ebola treatment centre opened on Tuesday in Bunia, the main city in worst-hit Ituri province. [5] Tedros said all partners must urgently and massively scale up all efforts across all pillars of the response. [2] The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the epidemic is following a trajectory significantly worse than previous outbreaks. [4]

Precautionary Measures in the Capital

In Kinshasa, preparations for a possible Bundibugyo response are intensifying, with surveillance and rapid-response capacity being reinforced at Maluku, the city's main entry point. [3] Officials have reiterated that the measures are precautionary, but they underline the gravity of the situation. [3] There are currently more than 17,000 people under monitoring after coming into contact with Ebola cases, 674 patients in isolation or treatment across five provinces, and 776 recoveries, according to authorities. [3] The boat arrived at the port of Maluku on the outskirts of Kinshasa around midday on Wednesday with an estimated 200 passengers. [5] It was met by a major containment operation, with medical teams from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health. [5]

What to watch next: Ongoing human trials for Bundibugyo vaccines from the UK, Canada-authorized Moderna, and Hilleman, plus further evidence on Zaire-strain vaccine use and the new treatment centre in Bunia.