WHO Reports 600 Suspected Ebola Cases and 139 Suspected Deaths in DR Congo

The World Health Organization says it could take six to nine months before a vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is ready for use. WHO advisor Dr Vasee Moorthy said two candidate vaccines are being developed but neither has completed clinical trials.

One candidate is based on the same platform as the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and is currently being manufactured. WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there have been 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. He added that 51 cases have been confirmed in DR Congo and two in Uganda.

The first known case was a nurse who developed symptoms and died on 24 April in Ituri province. Most confirmed cases are in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Bunia. Two confirmed cases in Uganda's capital Kampala involved people who had travelled from DR Congo. One of those individuals has died.

The UK government announced it will provide up to £20 million for frontline health workers, infection control and disease surveillance. Local health facilities report they are full of suspect cases and lack adequate personal protective equipment. Healthcare workers are among those who have died.

We don't have any space," health facilities told Trish Newport, an emergency programme manager with Medecins Sans Frontieres.