More than 900 people have contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo since August 2018, according to CIDRAP News.
Three updates on the outbreak:
1. As of March 6, health officials reported 907 confirmed and probable Ebola infections linked to the ongoing outbreak, including 569 deaths. Another 304 people have been cured, and 223 suspected cases are still under investigation.
2. Joanne Liu, MD, international president of Doctors Without Borders, told The New York Times that outside aid groups such as her own have failed to gain locals' trust. Instead, they've alienated communities, causing Congo residents to avoid care or attack Ebola treatment centers. Dr. Liu said aid groups must rethink their Ebola response strategies to better contain the outbreak.
3. On March 6, the nonprofit research charity Wellcome Trust shared plans to allocate $2.65 million for vaccine research in the Congo. Health workers have administered Merck's experimental Ebola vaccine to 85,867 Congo residents since August.