The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading rapidly despite intensified efforts to contain the deadly virus.
Speaking from Bunia, the capital of the conflict-affected Ituri Province, WHO Regional Emergencies Director for Africa, Marie-Roseline Belizaire, said health authorities are struggling to keep pace with the evolving outbreak. “The outbreak remains serious” and is “evolving so fast,” Belizaire told reporters in Geneva, while noting that the response effort is becoming stronger each day.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although health officials believe the virus had been circulating undetected for some time before its discovery. The epidemic is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
According to the latest WHO update, the DRC has recorded 896 confirmed Ebola cases, including 232 deaths. Health authorities also reported 21 new infections within the last 24 hours. More than 90 per cent of the confirmed cases have been recorded in Ituri Province, an area already grappling with insecurity and armed conflict. The outbreak has also spread to the neighbouring provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
Belizaire said the pace of transmission has forced health workers to continually expand response measures, including treatment capacity, testing and contact tracing. She revealed that the number of treatment beds available for Ebola patients has increased from zero at the start of the outbreak to more than 500.
Surveillance teams are currently investigating nearly 400 alerts and now have the capacity to conduct more than 2,000 Ebola tests daily. The WHO official also said efforts to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed to the virus have improved significantly, with authorities now reaching approximately 75 per cent of known contacts.
However, the WHO has previously stated that at least 95 per cent of contacts need to be traced and monitored to effectively contain the outbreak. Outside the DRC, neighbouring Uganda remains the only other country affected by the outbreak. Uganda has recorded 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths, while 10 patients have recovered.
Health authorities in Uganda have not reported any new Ebola cases for 12 consecutive days, raising hopes that transmission in the country may be under control. Ebola is a severe viral disease that spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause haemorrhagic fever, with high fatality rates if not detected and treated early.