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The fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) has reached 10,000 confirmed cases, government data showed on Tuesday, as health authorities race to slow the spread of the disease in multiple African countries.
It is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history and nearly half of the 10,060 people confirmed to have the virus have died, according to data from D.R.C.’s Ministry of Health.
That also makes it the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country’s history.
The outbreak declared in May is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Response teams are battling armed conflict, poor roads and violence from residents fuelled by mistrust and misinformation. Those obstacles compound the challenge of persuading people to report symptoms and accept care in communities that have endured years of violence and repeated epidemics.
Compared to the West Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 — history’s largest and deadliest, with more than 28,000 cases, including more than 11,000 deaths — this has had at least three times the number of cases and deaths in the time since it was declared.
It has spread farther across Africa than any previous Ebola outbreak, reaching three regions, with cases recorded in Kenya and Nigeria as well.
It’s so far been recorded in five countries, including Uganda, which saw 21 cases and three deaths but no new reported cases since late June, and France, a case involving a doctor who returned from D.R.C. and later recovered in hospital.
A health worker attends to an Ebola patient at the Rwampara treatment centre in Ituri, D.R.C., on June 18. (Moses Sawasawa/The Associated Press)
A recurring problem in the spread in Africa is what appears to be lax surveillance efforts, as most of the first cases were confirmed long after people started showing symptoms or after travelling.
African health ministers are to hold a virtual summit on Wednesday to strengthen the continent’s collective response.
“Ebola is crossing borders. Our response must move faster, with stronger co-ordination, greater solidarity and decisive political leadership,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
WATCH | D.R.C. children dying from Ebola at higher rates than adults: