KINSHASA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 9,000 confirmed Ebola cases since May, as preparations for a vaccine trial near completion.
The country's task force on Ebola released a situation report on Tuesday, showing that 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths had been recorded as of Oct. 11, bringing the overall case fatality rate to 48.3 percent. A total of 2,389 patients have recovered.
The outbreak has affected 65 health zones across seven provinces. The eastern province of Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for 73.8 percent of all confirmed cases, followed by North Kivu Province, which has recorded the highest case fatality rate at 57.1 percent.
Earlier this month, DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said that the outbreak was becoming increasingly localized, with several affected health zones reporting no new cases for weeks.
However, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Oct. 7 that while the epidemic was slowing in some areas, it continued to grow in others. He also highlighted persistent challenges, including the high proportion of deaths occurring in communities and gaps in contact tracing.
The outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been specifically approved, although clinical trials are underway.
Ervebo, a vaccine approved against the Zaire ebolavirus, is being administered to frontline health workers under research protocols and through compassionate-use arrangements.
According to the latest situation report, 399 frontline workers had been vaccinated in Haut-Uele province as of Oct. 11. Yet its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus remains unproven.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced Tuesday that final preparations were underway for Tumaini, a pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical trial to evaluate vaccine candidates against the Bundibugyo virus.
The trial, expected to begin in the coming weeks pending ethical and regulatory approval, will likely evaluate Ervebo first, followed by vaccines specifically developed against the strain as they become available.
Declared on May 15, the outbreak has become the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest worldwide, after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. ■