DRC’s Ebola outbreak is second-largest on record, latest data shows

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) fast-spreading Ebola outbreak is now the world’s second-largest on record, government data showed on Friday, as transmission continues to outpace efforts to contain the epidemic.

The number of cases reported across the DRC has risen to 3,532, the communications ministry said, with 1,556 deaths recorded.

“It’s the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic we have ever seen,” Carl Skau, acting head of the UN World Food Programme, said this week. “The world needs to pay much more attention.”

Less than three months since the outbreak began, the disease has killed five times as many people as previous outbreaks had by the same stage, according to Africa’s top public health agency, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Health responders are also battling insecurity and attacks on health facilities across eastern DRC, where dozens of armed groups operate, while deep foreign aid cuts have stretched resources.

The latest figures about the outbreak indicate that only West Africa’s 2014 to 2016 outbreak was bigger, with 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths recorded across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

WHO says outbreak may be bigger than reported

Angele Gapio, head of emergencies for the Caritas charity in the northeastern city of Bunia, said awareness campaigns were failing and frontline responders were exhausted and traumatised.

“The disease has now settled in the community,” she said. “People continue to seek treatment from traditional healers, and the chain of transmission continues.”

The WHO said earlier this month the true scale of the outbreak could be up to four times higher than official figures suggest.

Reuters reported this week that surveillance efforts are stretched due to shortages of vehicles, understaffing and community mistrust.

More funds needed to contain the epidemic

Africa CDC said in June it would require $ 1.4billion to contain the Ebola outbreak, three times its earlier estimate.

Figures presented this week by Africa CDC and the WHO showed the DRC’s May-August response plan secured $213.9m (R3.54bn) in declared funding, short of planned spending of $242.4m (R4.01bn).

A US travel ban is also restricting the supply of aid workers. The blocking of American citizens in the DRC from travelling to the US on commercial flights.

Samaritan’s Purse, which operates treatment centres and relies on US responders for its mission in the DRC, said it will have to scale back because of the quarantine order.

Reuters