136 dead, no vaccine or cure: WHO chief warns over 'scale and speed' of Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organisation chief on Tuesday said he was "deeply concerned" by an Ebola outbreak in Congo caused by a rare strain for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, as the death toll rose to 136.

"I did not do this lightly... I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the World Health Assembly in Geneva, a day after declaring the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.





Congo health minister Roger Kamba said on Tuesday that a total of 543 suspected cases had been reported nationwide, including 32 laboratory-confirmed cases. All 136 deaths were probable cases suspected to be linked to the virus. Sixty-nine patients are currently being treated at Ebola treatment centres.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rarer form of Ebola that has historically appeared far less frequently than the Zaire strain responsible for the devastating West Africa outbreak between 2014 and 2016. Unlike the Zaire strain, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo.

The epicentre is in Ituri province, but confirmed cases have also been reported in neighbouring North Kivu province. Tedros pointed out that the province is "highly insecure," with intensifying conflict in recent months displacing more than 100,000 people. He also noted that deaths had been reported among health workers, suggesting "healthcare-associated transmission."

Neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania have stepped up surveillance, border screening and emergency preparedness measures. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security.

In the absence of a vaccine, Tedros said there were "many other measures countries can take to stop the spread of this virus and save lives," including risk communication and community engagement.