Two nurses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been discharged after fully recovering from Ebola, marking a positive development in the country's latest outbreak, the World Health Organization confirmed Sunday.
The nurses were among five people who have now recovered from the virus, including a laboratory worker cleared last Thursday. The UN-partnered response is ramping up against the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no licensed vaccine or treatment.
As of Sunday, 210 confirmed cases and 17 deaths have been reported. Nearly 350 suspected cases are under investigation, and 16 health workers have contracted the virus. The outbreak was declared on May 15.
In Bunia, the likely epicenter, WHO handed over a refurbished 24-bed Ebola Treatment Centre to local authorities, with a total capacity of 60 beds. An annex with up to 42 beds is being set up.
Containing the outbreak is complicated by the dire humanitarian situation in DRC's conflict-ridden east, where 1.2 million people need assistance in Ituri province alone. Transmission has been concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
Although no licensed vaccine or treatment exists, WHO advisory groups have identified three candidate therapeutics as promising: monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab, and the antiviral remdesivir. The oral antiviral obeldesivir is being studied for post-exposure prevention. Two candidate vaccines are awaiting evaluation once doses are available.
"Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Bunia. "Seeking care early makes a real difference... It is not without hope."
The outbreak is spreading rapidly in DRC and neighboring Uganda, with ongoing cross-border transmission. A U.S. patient who treated patients in DRC remains in care in Germany.