Kat Lay

An Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain has produced nearly 5,000 cases and more than 2,000 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since May, becoming the country’s deadliest outbreak and potentially the largest globally. Transmission continues because the outbreak began spreading before it was detected, contact tracing remains far below target levels, communities distrust authorities, infected people are unaccounted for, and health workers face unpaid wages and insecurity. Although donors have pledged sufficient funds, only about half of the direct response budget has been disbursed. Testing has expanded locally, strain-specific vaccine trials and drug studies are under way, and the existing Ervebo vaccine may offer cross-protection. Health officials hope door-to-door surveillance and village-level engagement will reverse transmission within three months, but the outbreak is unlikely to end by December and could exceed the 2014–16 West African epidemic if current efforts fail.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has exceeded 4,000 cases and become the second-largest on record, with 1,801 deaths recorded by 4 August. Africa CDC officials fear the Bundibugyo virus may be mutating, citing unprecedented severity, widespread untracked transmission and inadequate contact tracing. Authorities plan to intensify the response through door-to-door case searches, community-based measures and digital tools, while introducing remdesivir on a compassionate-use basis and evaluating whether the Ervebo vaccine can protect against this strain. The outbreak is also disrupting routine healthcare, including measles vaccination, across conflict-affected provinces.

Seventeen Sri Lankan employees of Action Against Hunger were found shot dead in the NGO’s Muttur compound on 6 August 2006. Most were Tamil, and investigations by the Sri Lankan state, Action Against Hunger and the UN Human Rights Office raised serious allegations that members of Sri Lankan security forces carried out the executions, amid claims of witness intimidation and evidence tampering. No one has been held accountable. Families and former colleagues are calling for a credible investigation, while Action Against Hunger has asked Sri Lanka to reopen the case. Sri Lanka’s recent signing of a declaration protecting humanitarian personnel may create a renewed opportunity for justice, truth and reparations.