The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached a grim milestone, becoming the deadliest in the country’s history with at least 2,325 deaths. This surpasses the toll from the 2018-2026 outbreak marking a significant escalation in the current crisis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak as the biggest in history. The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has seen 4,945 confirmed cases including 101 detected in the previous 24 hours.
The Rapid Spread of Ebola in the DRC
The outbreak, the 17th in the DRC’s history is the fastest-growing on record. It took almost five months for the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak to reach 1,000 deaths compared to more than 2,000 deaths in less than three months in the current outbreak.
The UN has stated that Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the epidemic killing one person every 30 minutes. Six of the DRC’s 26 provinces have been affected, primarily those along the country’s northeastern border. Ituri province where the outbreak was first reported, has recorded more than 3,400 cases.
Challenges in Combating the Outbreak
The response to this outbreak has been hampered by several factors, including attacks on healthcare facilitiesmisinformation about safe burial practices and strikes by unpaid health workers. Decades of unrest, outside interference, and poor health and road infrastructure have also complicated the situation.
Mohamed Janabi the WHO’s regional Africa director, noted that more than 70% of people die in the community and not in health centers. Jean-Paul Malo Lotsima a civil society official in the Djugu area of Ituri, explained that people prefer to be treated at home often seeking medical help only when the situation becomes critical.
Flavier Ngurima a resident of Nizi, one of the hotspots in Ituri, shared his experience of losing his brother before reaching the treatment center. This highlights the deep-seated fears and misconceptions surrounding Ebola treatment centers.
Efforts and Developments in Treatment
Despite the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, clinical trials of two possible treatments began last month in Ituri. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the WHO director-general, announced that two vaccines developed specifically for this strain are now being tested on people.
Thomas Parisch a public health specialist with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) observed that normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves. However, in this outbreak, many cases are detected very late, reducing the chances of successful treatment.
The DRC and Uganda declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in May. The WHO noted that sequencing showed the outbreak had started months earlier, in February. Efforts to contain the virus continue amidst these challenging circumstances.
