The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the deadliest in the country's history, with at least 2,325 people killed, according to government data. This surpasses the toll from the 2018-20 outbreak, marking a grim milestone in the fight against the virus.
The country's public health institute reported on Sunday that confirmed cases had risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours. These figures indicate a rapid acceleration of the epidemic, which is now spreading faster than any previous Ebola outbreak in the region.
For context, the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-16 resulted in 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the current DRC outbreak has not yet reached those numbers, its trajectory is alarming.
On Friday, the United Nations warned that "Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" and said the epidemic was now killing one person every 30 minutes. This stark warning underscores the severity of the situation and the urgent need for international intervention.
Six of DRC's 26 provinces have now been affected, mainly those along the country's northeastern border. More than 3,400 of the cases have been recorded in Ituri province, where the outbreak was first reported. The geographic spread is complicating containment efforts.
The current surge is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. This lack of medical countermeasures is a major challenge for health workers on the ground.
Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to DRC with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said: "Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier. Instead, we're still seeing many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community."
Uganda has reported at least 20 cases, all in the capital, Kampala. In May, the WHO declared the outbreak in DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, highlighting the cross-border risks.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding or clothing.
According to WHO, symptoms include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and signs of impaired kidney and liver function. Early detection and supportive care remain critical to improving survival rates.
Source: www.theguardian.com