The number of confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has now reached 1,003, with 254 reported deaths, officials confirmed. One hundred individuals have successfully recovered in the outbreak, which is primarily concentrated in the Ituri province since its declaration on May 15, according to Congo’s Ministry of Health statement on Sunday. The ministry also indicated that 365 patients are currently hospitalized or in isolation.
This Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, is the most severe in its initial month. The virus has no available vaccines or treatments. Authorities acknowledge the possibility of undisclosed cases, with expectations that the outbreak’s peak is yet to come.
Contact tracing remains a significant obstacle for local authorities, with only a 55 percent coverage rate achieved, as per the ministry’s report. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized the importance of identifying the index case for controlling an outbreak, particularly an Ebola outbreak.
CBC’s Eli Glasner interviewed a doctor on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding the impact of foreign aid cuts, such as the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last year.
Authorities have yet to identify patient zero and trace over 35,000 individuals who had contact with infected persons by last week. Persistent violence from rebels in eastern Congo, particularly in Ituri, has impeded these efforts.
Over a month into the outbreak, officials express concerns that response efforts are falling behind the disease’s spread, and the true scale of the outbreak remains unknown. Health experts warn that the outbreak, spanning three provinces in eastern Congo, could surpass the West Africa epidemic that claimed over 11,000 lives from 2014 to 2016.
Displaced persons at risk
At the Kigonze displacement camp in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, camp officials reported ten deaths under unusual circumstances last week, fueling concerns of a potential outbreak among the 20,000 displaced individuals at the camp. Although no Ebola case has been confirmed at the site, the death rate is unprecedented, prompting calls for investigation.
The UN refugee agency highlighted that over two million forcibly displaced individuals, including 320,000 refugees, reside in Ebola risk zones in Congo.
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Congo’s Ebola outbreak complicated by aid cuts, armed rebels and anger
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