DST News: More than 5,000 people have died in an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), according to government data, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history.
The outbreak, which began in May, has spread to eight of the country’s 26 provinces, with more than 10,300 confirmed cases. Public health officials declared it the country’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak in August. The current case fatality rate stands at 48.6%.
According to the health ministry’s latest update, the epicentre remains in Ituri province in the country’s northeast. The region is affected by conflict, making efforts to contain the virus more difficult.
Cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
The United Nations says this is DR Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak and the second-largest in history.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional office for Africa said that bringing the outbreak under control would require “a continued scale-up of key control measures, greater access to affected areas, and community outreach”.
Testing and treatment programmes are under way, alongside clinical trials of vaccines, the organisation added.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. However, no approved treatment or vaccine is currently available for this particular strain.
The country’s previous deadliest outbreak, between 2018 and 2020, claimed 2,299 lives, according to the UN.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak on record occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, killing more than 11,325 people. The epidemic spread across several countries and also reached Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the WHO.
The UN has warned that the current outbreak is “taking lives at a much faster rate”.
Ebola is a rare but potentially fatal disease caused by a virus, with symptoms developing suddenly. As the illness progresses, patients may experience vomiting and diarrhoea, which can lead to organ failure. Some patients also develop internal or external bleeding.
The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit.
Efforts to respond to the outbreak have also been complicated by attacks on health workers and others involved in containment activities.
Earlier this week, a nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured while responding to an Ebola alert. According to the UN-backed Radio Okapi, local youths accused them of contaminating water sources and spreading the virus.
Last month, a politician was beaten to death after promoting measures to prevent the spread of Ebola. In August, the Red Cross reported that its volunteers had been injured and an ambulance set on fire during 11 violent incidents in the first 100 days of the outbreak.
In Uganda, two people died and 20 cases were recorded shortly after the outbreak began. No new cases have been reported since August, although travel restrictions remain in place for people crossing from neighbouring DR Congo.
Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths.
Nigeria’s disease control centre said on Saturday that two suspected cases had been identified. Both individuals have been isolated and are undergoing tests.
Earlier in October, a woman was confirmed to have Ebola in Nigeria and was flown to Switzerland for further treatment.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said the risk of infection for people in Europe remains “very low”.
Source: BBC
