Key takeaways:
- Congo’s Health Ministry reported at least 930 deaths and 2,344 confirmed Ebola cases as of Saturday.
- The WHO said more than 80% of new cases are being found outside known contact lists, indicating missed transmission chains.
- At least 12 attacks on health facilities and response teams have been recorded since mid-May, and many health workers have gone on strike over lack of payment.
At least 930 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, health officials said Monday, as the virus spreads at a pace the World Health Organization says is outstripping past outbreaks in the country.
The Congolese Ministry of Health said 37 deaths were recorded in a 24-hour period from Friday into Saturday, one of the highest daily increases since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The deaths came from 2,344 confirmed cases reported as of Saturday, the ministry said.
The outbreak, first detected after several deaths in Ituri province in northeastern Congo, has now affected five provinces in the country’s east, where rebel violence has complicated the public health response. Al Jazeera reported that cases have also been found in neighboring Uganda, though WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Uganda is now close to being “virus-free.”
The WHO warned last week that Ebola is spreading in Congo faster than in any previous outbreak there. Tedros said the 2018-2020 outbreak in Congo “took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases.” This time, he said, it took only two months to reach that mark, and the WHO has said the true tally could be at least double the official count.
“It is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record,” Tedros said. “In the past month, it has expanded faster than any previous outbreak.”
The WHO also said more than 80% of new cases were being detected outside known contact lists. Tedros said that shows “transmission chains are still being missed,” a warning sign that the virus is spreading faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response.
NPR reported that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common virus that causes Ebola disease, and that there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Ebola is highly contagious and can spread to people from wild animals. It moves through human populations by contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and through contaminated materials including bedding and clothing. The disease is rare but severe and often fatal.
The response has been especially strained in Ituri, the worst-affected province. Authorities said Saturday that at least 12 attacks, mostly driven by skepticism and rumors, have targeted health facilities and response teams since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. Many health workers have also walked off the job to protest lack of payment.
Al Jazeera reported that healthcare workers began a strike last week and blocked the entrance to Bunia General Hospital, saying they had not received compensation for their work since the outbreak began despite treating patients in dangerous conditions.
At least 36 health workers infected with the virus have died, according to NPR.
The Health Ministry said 724 patients are currently in isolation and in hospitals, and that it is intensifying response efforts in affected health zones.
“Patient care and support capacities are consolidating, with 22 new recoveries recorded in 24 hours,” the ministry said.
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