Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo becomes fastest-growing, kills over 1,700
Ebola has killed more than 1,700 people in eastern Congo in what has become the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record, according to the latest government data.
As of Tuesday, August 4, 3,802 cases had been recorded, with 1,707 deaths, according to the government update.
It is not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak, Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said during his second visit to the town of Bunia, near the outbreak's epicentre, on Tuesday, August 4.
Kaseya cautioned that nearly 80 per cent of new cases are not being detected through contact tracing but are instead the result of community spread.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The Africa CDC has said the response has been hampered by delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust among communities, and violence by armed groups and some residents.
The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo's remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of cases, though infections have also been confirmed in five other provinces, including in Kisangani, one of the country's largest cities.
According to case details, a key challenge in the response is that patient zero has yet to be identified. Displacement caused by armed conflict and illegal mining in the region has also made it difficult to trace thousands of people who may have come into contact with infected individuals.
On Monday, healthcare workers in the hard-hit town of Mongbwalu issued an ultimatum over unpaid wages, warning that "if nothing is done within 24 hours, we will escalate our action."
Healthcare workers in Bunia had previously gone on strike over a lack of pay and dangerous working conditions. The World Health Organization has said more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the outbreak began.
The current outbreak has killed more people at a faster rate than any previous Ebola outbreak, including the 2014-2016 epidemic, during which 28,000 cases were reported and more than 11,000 people died. That outbreak had taken about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.
The response continues to be hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centres, ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and mistrust among local communities.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola following the discharge of the country's last patient in mid-June, and enrollment in a closely watched study of two potential Ebola treatments has recently begun in Ituri.
(Sourced through PTI)