Africa's top health authority has warned that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading quickly beyond its original epicenter. This outbreak, which is the fastest-growing in eastern Congo on record, has seen a decrease in new cases and deaths in Ituri province, where the outbreak began, but a sharp increase in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), 6,843 cases have been reported so far, including 3,310 deaths. Ituri remains the most affected area, with over 5,400 cases, while North Kivu has reported more than 1,000 cases since the outbreak was declared in May. The spread of the virus is happening under very challenging conditions, exacerbated by insecurity, displacement of people, a recent strike by health workers, and large movements of the population. These factors have made it difficult to control the outbreak. The World Health Organization has stated that the situation is still out of control and could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed over 11,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In North Kivu, new cases have more than doubled in the latest three-week period, rising from 165 to 381, according to Yap Boum, Africa CDC’s head of emergency preparedness and response. The virus has recently reached two additional health zones in the region, where ongoing fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has made the response efforts even more complicated. The rebels currently control the provincial capital, Goma, further complicating access for health workers. To combat the outbreak, Congo has begun vaccinating health workers and other front-line staff with the Ervebo vaccine, which was effective in previous Ebola outbreaks caused by a different strain known as Zaire. Clinical trials are also underway to develop a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak. These trials are taking place in the eastern provinces of Tshopo, Haut-Uele, and Bas-Uele, according to Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Africa CDC’s director for research, clinical trials, and innovation. The vaccination campaign initially focused on newly affected provinces to help prevent further spread, with vaccinations in Ituri expected to start next week. A major challenge remains the limited supply of vaccines, with only 70,000 doses available so far.