DRC Ebola Outbreak Grows to Nearly 1,800 Cases as Virus Spreads Across Borders

The democratic Republic of the Congo has confirmed 1,792 Ebola cases, including 625 deaths, as of July 9, in what has become the country's 17th recorded outbreak of the disease. A total of 764 patients are currently hospitalized in isolation as health authorities and internaional partners work to contain the spread. 
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, was officially declared in Ituri Province in mid May and was designed a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on May 17. 

Where the Outbreak Stands 
Ituri province remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 1,631 confirmed cases and 535 deaths reported across 25 of its 36 health zones. North Kivu has recorded 158 cases and 89 dealths across 11 health zones, while South Kivu has reported 3 cases and 1 dealth in a single zone. In total, 37 of 104 health zones across the three provinces have been affected. 
The outbreak has also spread to a fourth province, Haut-Uele, which borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic, after a case was detected in a person who had traveled there from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.

Crossing International Borders
Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths linked to the outbreak, with the last new case recorded on June 21 and no new cases reported since. Of Uganda's confirmed cases, 15 had travel links to DRC, while five were tied to local transmission among contacts and healthcare workers.
The virus has also reached beyond the region. In May, a U.S. citizen infected with the virus was medically evacuated to Germany for treatment. On June 24, French authorities confirmed a case in a medical doctor who had spent five weeks in Ituri Province treating patients before returning to France. The doctor self-reported symptoms upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport and was immediately isolated; comprehensive contact tracing has since been carried out in both France and DRC.

Why This Outbreak Is Especially Difficult to Contain

The Bundibugyo virus complicates the response because existing licensed Ebola vaccines and treatments were developed for a different species, the more common Zaire ebolavirus. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific therapeutic for Bundibugyo virus disease, though a clinical trial to identify effective treatments is now underway and early supportive care has proven lifesaving.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pointed to the "speed and scale" of the outbreak as cause for concern about further spread, citing regional conflict and the fact that the affected area is a mining zone with high levels of population movement. Community resistance has also hampered the response: burial teams have been attacked, and in one instance, protesters set an Ebola treatment center on fire demanding the return of a body, reflecting ongoing mistrust in some affected communities.

The International Response

More than 1,400 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff are on the ground in DRC and Uganda, running treatment centers, supporting isolation units, and delivering essential supplies. The U.S. CDC has issued a Level 3 travel health notice for DRC, and recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. A suspension on the entry of specified foreign nationals into the United States tied to the outbreak was extended on June 21 for an additional 30 days.
The risk to the general public in the United States and Europe remains considered very low, according to both the CDC and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, though both agencies continue to monitor the situation closely as it evolves.