Democratic Republic of Congo: MSF preparing large-scale response to Ebola outbreak in Ituri province

Following the official declaration of an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak by the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 15 May, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is preparing to rapidly scale up its medical response in Ituri province, in the country’s northeast. 

On the weekend of 9 and 10 May, MSF received alerts of an increased number of deaths from a suspected viral haemorraghic fever in Mongwalu health zone, an area northwest of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, a team went to assess the situation and found that 55 people had died since the beginning of April. MSF also received subsequent reports that cases had been identified in Bunia and Rwampara health zones. 

According to the Congolese authorities,a total of 246 suspected cases and more than 80 deaths have been reported across the three health zones.This outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. The Bundibugyo strain is distinct from the more common Zaire strain in that there is no approved vaccine, and no approved treatment.

On 15 May, health authorities in neighbouring Uganda also confirmed one case of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease in a 59-year-old Congolese male, who died on 14 May. MSF has informed the Ugandan Ministry of Health that it is ready to support the public health authorities’ response.

“The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border, is extremely concerning,” says Trish Newport, MSF Emergency Programme Manager."In Ituri, many people already struggle to access healthcare and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.” 

MSF currently has teams in the affected areas of Ituri to assess medical needs, and is coordinating closely with the Congolese health authorities. In MSF’s Salama clinic in Bunia, we have three suspected cases, who have now been isolated.

Right now, MSF is mobilising more teams comprising medical, logistical, and support staff experienced in responding to viral haemorraghic fever outbreaks, as well as essential supplies, to launch a large-scale response as quickly as possible. MSF will also work to ensure strict prevention measures are in place in its existing projects in order to protect our staff, our patients and their access to healthcare.

The estimated case fatality rate of the Bundibugyo strain is between 25 and 40 percent. This is the third detected outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, following outbreaks in Uganda in 2007-2008 and in DRC in 2012.

Ebola is an infectious viral haemorrhagic fever, transmitted to humans through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals. Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals

MSF has responded to multiple Ebola outbreaks in DRC over the past years. This outbreak marks the country’s seventeenth since the first case was discovered in 1976.