Ebola spreads to sixth province in Congo as outbreak fears grow

NAIROBI, Aug 14 — Six provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are now affected by Ebola, with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warning on Thursday that the outbreak could become the largest in history if it is not brought under control, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Cases have now also been confirmed in the city of Buta in Bas Uélé province, linked to infected individuals from neighbouring Haut Uélé province, Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya said in his weekly situation report.

According to the Congolese Health Ministry, 4,566 cases have been confirmed since May, with 2,128 people dying from the highly contagious infectious disease.

However, those figures only cover the period since the outbreak was officially declared in May, Kaseya stressed.

“All the studies available to us indicate that the outbreak began around February, and we have no idea what happened between February and May,” he said.

“If we do not stop this outbreak, it will last more than a year and will be the largest in the world,” Kaseya said.

That would also increase the risk of the outbreak spreading to other countries, he added. During the first phase of the outbreak, cases were also recorded in Uganda, linked to travellers from Congo.

A further complication is that while Ebola deaths normally occur in hospitals and isolation wards, more than 63 per cent of deaths in the current outbreak are occurring among the general population in villages and towns.

Those who die are also frequently being buried without the involvement of trained workers.