Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones

The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has spread to two new health zones in eastern Congo, with a total of 60 now affected, according to the latest government figures.

The two new zones affected are Biena and Manguredjipa in Congo's North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate is much higher than the overall rate of 48 per cent, due in part to delayed response efforts, according to health ministry data published on Friday.

It said the outbreak has recorded 5794 confirmed cases, including 2786 deaths, as it is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fuelled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.

The World Health Organisation has said it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

On Thursday, Congo began vaccinating health workers and other frontline workers with the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type.

Clinical trials are going on to find a licensed vaccine for the current outbreak.