WHO warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak could become deadliest on record
More than 2,000 people have died as conflict, poor infrastructure and the absence of an approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain hamper containment efforts
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading faster than health authorities can contain it and could become the deadliest ever recorded, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that the crisis could surpass the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
Al Jazeera reported that more than 2,000 people have died among over 4,300 recorded cases in eastern DR Congo, making it the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak documented to date.
The outbreak was officially declared on 15 May, although subsequent genetic sequencing indicated that the virus had been circulating since February.
Efforts to contain the virus have been complicated by the remoteness of affected communities and continuing conflict near the country’s borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. Health teams have struggled to reach several areas where infections and deaths are being reported.
Poor infrastructure, inadequately resourced clinics and misinformation have also impeded the response. Strikes by healthcare workers over unpaid salaries have placed further pressure on containment operations.
Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, the WHO’s director for health emergency alert and response operations, said the agency’s moderate forecast suggested the outbreak could peak within six months. Under a more severe scenario, however, it could continue for between nine and 12 months.
The West African epidemic remains the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, causing more than 11,000 deaths among approximately 28,000 cases. The scale of that crisis prompted an accelerated international effort to develop vaccines against the virus.
WHO officials have warned that the present outbreak could exceed that death toll unless access to affected communities improves rapidly.