Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Outpaces Response Efforts

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo continues to outpace response efforts, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said Tuesday after returning from Bunia in Ituri province. Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that many newly reported deaths occurred in communities without patients reaching health facilities or receiving care.

As of Tuesday, 80 percent of new cases fall outside contact lists and stem from unknown chains of transmission, he said.

Congo has battled the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo virus since May with no approved treatment or vaccine. The Africa Centre for Disease Control stated last week that the outbreak is the fastest-growing on the continent. As of Monday, Congolese authorities reported at least 1,926 infections and 702 deaths across three provinces.

Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda. Last week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo tested positive for Ebola.

Treatment capacity in Bunia has reached nearly 800 beds and is increasing weekly, while lab capacity has grown from one to 14 facilities. Despite these gains, response efforts have not caught up with the outbreak, Ihekweazu said. The response has been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, and mistrust among local communities.

On Monday, dozens of workers at an Ebola treatment center in northeast Congo went on strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses. Congolese authorities declared the fresh outbreak on May 15 after undetected transmission for weeks. Clinical trials for treatment began last week after researchers launched a study.