WHO Warns Ebola Epidemic Is Outpacing Response in DRC
The Guardian reported Monday that the World Health Organization has warned the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading faster than authorities can contain it, with suspected deaths now exceeding 220.
WHO Raises Alarm as Death Toll Climbs
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an African Union online meeting that operations were being urgently expanded. He acknowledged responders were currently being outrun by the epidemic’s pace. Tedros also announced plans to travel to the DRC on Tuesday alongside Chikwe Ihekweazu, who leads the WHO’s health emergencies programme.
Earlier this month, Tedros declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after case counts topped 300 suspected infections. The crisis has drawn roughly $500 million in international pledges so far.
Treatment Centers Attacked in Conflict Zone
The response effort has been further destabilised by violence against health facilities in Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicenter. Residents attacked the Mongbwalu general referral hospital on both Saturday and Sunday. Medical director Dr. Richard Lokodu told Reuters that 18 patients fled after makeshift isolation tents were set fire to during the first assault. A critically ill patient later died while attempting to escape during renewed attacks on Sunday.
The violence was partly driven by families demanding the return of deceased relatives for traditional burial rites. A similar episode occurred Thursday at a treatment site near Bunia, where crowds burned a facility after authorities refused to release a victim’s body. Traditional burial practices involving physical contact with the deceased have historically accelerated Ebola’s spread in previous outbreaks.
Background: A Rare Strain With No Approved Vaccine
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a rare variant for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists. The hardest-hit areas sit within Ituri, a region that has endured over two decades of ethnic militia conflict over land and gold. More than 50,000 people have died in that conflict since 1999, and active fighting continues to restrict health workers’ access.
Cases have also emerged in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, including in rebel-controlled Goma and Bukavu. Uganda recorded two additional confirmed infections Monday, both healthcare workers at a private clinic in Kampala, bringing that country’s confirmed total to seven.
Neighbouring countries have been urged by the WHO to take immediate precautionary steps as cross-border transmission risk rises.
Read Next: What Is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern?
