Ebola Outbreak Poses Significant Threat in DRC and Neighboring Regions
The World Health Organization has indicated that the ongoing Ebola outbreak is progressing faster than current response efforts, putting neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at considerable risk.
“We’re intensifying our response, but right now, the epidemic is outpacing us,” stated WHO’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urging immediate action from surrounding nations.
During an online meeting with the African Union, he revealed that the current outbreak has led to 220 suspected deaths and mentioned plans to visit the DRC alongside Chikwe Ihekweazu, the executive director of WHO’s health emergencies program, on Tuesday.
This announcement follows disturbances in Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicenter, where attacks on health facilities have hindered efforts to control the situation.
In two separate incidents over the weekend, residents in Mongbwalu targeted the local general referral hospital. Dr. Richard Lokodu, the medical director, explained to Reuters that 18 Ebola patients escaped after “unidentified individuals” set fire to tents used for isolation by Médecins Sans Frontières.
Further attacks occurred on Sunday, led by young locals associated with the family of a religious leader who had died from Ebola. During this chaos, a suspected Ebola patient who was critically ill died while attempting to flee from the hospital.
According to Lokodu, the attackers demanded the return of the bodies of those who succumbed to the virus so that they could conduct their own burials.
In another related event, a group set fire to a treatment center in Rwampara after being denied access to a victim’s body for burial. Traditional burial practices often involve washing and physical contact with deceased individuals, which can significantly contribute to the virus’s spread, as is known from past outbreaks.
Earlier this month, Tedros labeled the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” after over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported in the DRC, alongside two deaths in Uganda.
On Monday, Uganda confirmed two additional cases, bringing the total to seven, all involving health workers in a private facility located in the capital, Kampala.
This outbreak is attributed to the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine.
Areas heavily affected include Rwampara, Mongbwalu, Nyankunde, and Bunia in Ituri province, a region rich in gold and also plagued by longstanding conflict between militias representing different ethnic groups. This violence has resulted in over 50,000 fatalities since 1999.
Cases have also been documented in Butembo and the rebel-controlled Goma in North Kivu, as well as Bukavu city in South Kivu.
Dr. Tedros pointed out on Monday that efforts to contain the outbreak are complicated by insecurity in Ituri and North Kivu, along with the absence of an approved vaccine.
