DR Congo Ebola cases top 3,000

KINSHASA - The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 3,000, according to official figures released on Saturday.

The DRC's health authorities said the outbreak has now recorded 3,075 confirmed cases, including 1,354 deaths and 556 recoveries, while 755 patients remain in hospital or isolation.

The outbreak is affecting five provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said on Friday that researchers were working to develop a treatment and a vaccine against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the virus strain responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC.

Expressing hope that a vaccine and treatment could become available "within two to four months," she said the government has provided funding for the research but did not give further details on the development stage or expected approval process.

There is currently no approved vaccine or specifically licensed treatment for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Several experimental vaccines and therapeutics are undergoing clinical evaluation.

The University of Oxford announced on Friday that the first volunteer has been vaccinated in the world's first human trial of a vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 BDBV, designed to protect against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus.