The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, global humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned, calling for an urgent expansion of containment and care measures.
Official data shows the number of confirmed Ebola cases has tripled in less than five weeks to 1,926, including 702 deaths, as of Sunday. According to MSF, this makes it the third-largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record.
The charity, which operates seven Ebola treatment centres and more than 15 isolation units across the country, said the geographical spread of the virus is causing particular alarm. Communities outside urban areas continue to face inadequate support, with limited access to medical care and an overstretched surveillance system, MSF said.
"Every delay costs lives. We are still chasing the outbreak instead of staying ahead of it," said Trish Newport, MSF's Emergency Programme Manager, urging more coordinated international action to improve Ebola care.
The often fatal viral disease spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals and causes symptoms including high fever, vomiting, and internal and external bleeding. This particular epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
The World Health Organization said last week that the outbreak remained in an expansion phase, driven partly by population movements and delays in treatment. MSF has warned that surveillance, testing and safe, dignified burials all require additional resources.
Speaking to AnewZ's PrimeTime, Jonathan Ofayansa, publisher of Africa Briefing magazine, said the growing number of infections from unknown chains of transmission suggested health authorities could be "running behind the virus." He warned that when new patients cannot be linked to known cases, infections may be occurring outside the contact-tracing system, allowing people to unknowingly spread the virus between households, communities and healthcare facilities before Ebola is detected. Ofayansa added that the trend could mean the official case count reflects only part of the outbreak, underscoring the need for stronger community surveillance, faster laboratory testing and greater public trust so people seek treatment earlier.
In a stark assessment, Ayokunnu Raji, a medical doctor and MSF Medical Programme Manager working in the affected region, described the daily reality on the ground.
"In Mongbwalu, we are seeing the deadly human consequences of these gaps every day," he said, explaining that patients often arrive in critical condition with little chance of survival.
Meanwhile, the White House has confirmed that the administration in Washington is preventing American citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from travelling to the U.S. on commercial flights. The measure adds to the challenges facing those trying to leave the affected region.
MSF has stressed that, without a significant and immediate scaling up of the international response, the outbreak will continue to outpace containment efforts.
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