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.
Uzbekistan summoned Iran’s ambassador following claims by several Iranian diplomatic missions that the historical and architectural heri...
Kazakhstan marks Republic Day on 25 October with an ambitious economic agenda and a growing partnership with Azerbaijan, as the two Caspian neighbo...
Thousands of Israelis rallied in T...
Around 11,000 people joined a demonstration in Orléans on Saturday against the National Rally congress, according to the local prefecture.
Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as strong winds and torrential rain brought down trees, cut power and disrupted transport across the island.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday described a deadly shooting in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, west of Paris, as a racist attack and ‘a turning point’ for the country.
Israeli forces have maintained a tight closure on Hebron in the occupied West Bank for a second day, with Palestinian media reporting home raids, mass detentions and dozens of residents forced outside following a shooting incident the day before.
Armenian authorities have detained 10 more people in a vote-buying investigation involving the opposition Strong Armenia party, just two days before local elections in the northern town of Stepanavan.
Riot police fired tear gas at protesters in France’s largest cities and more than 1,300 people were arrested during demonstrations against the rising cost of living on Saturday (24 October). Police also used a water cannon on a group of around 500 hooded youths in Paris, after the main rally ended.
Ukraine's military has been hit this month by restrictions on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications system. Its receivers stopped functioning when mounted on fast-moving objects such as drones, jeopardising some combat and air defence missions.
At least five people were killed and several others injured in overnight attacks across Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, 25 October, as officials reported strikes on residential areas and industrial facilities, while Moscow claimed to have targeted logistics infrastructure and a cargo vessel.
Protests against war and rising living costs took place in major Italian cities on Saturday, with some incidents of violence and clashes, a week after unrest erupted across the country.
Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election on Sunday as deadly drone attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea raise security concerns and expose divisions over the country's response to Russia's war in Ukraine.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment