The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola\noutbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is developing very\nseriously and spreading rapidly, despite intensified containment\nefforts. WHO\u2019s Emergency Director for Africa, Marie Roseline Belizaire,\nstated that the situation poses a major challenge to the country\u2019s\nhealth system, with responders racing to catch up with the deteriorating\nconditions in northeastern DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak. The WHO\nnoted the virus had been spreading for several months before the\noutbreak was officially declared on 15 May 2026, leaving many health\nworkers exposed without adequate protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe outbreak remains serious and is developing very fast. However, I\nhave seen a response that is getting stronger every day,\u201d Belizaire\nsaid. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola\nvirus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific\ntherapy, making containment more difficult than previous outbreaks of\nthe Zaire strain. According to the latest WHO data, there have been 896\nconfirmed cases in the DRC, including 232 confirmed deaths, with 21 new\ncases reported in the last 24 hours. Over 90 percent of known cases in\nthe DRC are in the conflict-affected Ituri province, and the outbreak\nhas also spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.<\/p>\n
Belizaire explained the epidemic is spreading so quickly that the\nresponse is struggling to keep pace with the virus, which transmits\nthrough close contact and infected bodily fluids. The number of\navailable treatment beds has increased from zero to over 500, and\nsurveillance teams are now investigating nearly 400 alerts and\nconducting more than 2,000 tests per day. Contact tracing efforts have\nalso improved, with 75 percent of all contacts now reached, though the\nWHO has stated that 95 percent must be traced to overcome the outbreak.\nShe noted that some individuals who fell ill stayed at home, visited\ntraditional healers, and only later went to health centres, delaying\naccess to care. In the DRC, 78 people have recovered from Ebola, serving\nas a reminder that timely diagnosis and access to quality healthcare can\nsave lives.<\/p>\n
Seventy-five health workers have been infected with Ebola, and 17\nhave died. Belizaire said health workers were hit hard during the early\nstages of the epidemic. \u201cBecause we are seeing a large community\noutbreak, we cannot be sure whether they were infected in health\nfacilities. This is a very heavy price paid by the healthcare system,\u201d\nshe added. A Chinese medical team has arrived in the capital Kinshasa\nand will travel to Bunia. In neighbouring Uganda, the only other\naffected country, there are 19 confirmed cases including two deaths, and\n10 patients have recovered. Uganda has reported no new cases for 12\ndays. The UN migration agency said it has conducted over one million\nhealth screenings at borders and travel corridors as part of\nsurveillance measures to detect potential cases.<\/p>\n
At least 30 people have died since early May in a camp for displaced\ncivilians in northeastern Congo, a death rate officials say is\nunprecedented and, given the symptoms, could indicate Ebola is spreading\nrapidly there. The cause of death could not be confirmed because\npatients or their relatives at the Kigonze camp in Bunia refused testing\nfor both the living and the dead. All exhibited symptoms including\nheadaches, fever, and vomiting, which are associated with Ebola. \u201cPeople\nhave never died like this before,\u201d said camp spokesperson Desire Grodya\nBapi. The deaths at Kigonze, which houses more than 15,000 residents,\nraise concerns that Ebola may be circulating undetected among the more\nthan 5 million displaced people in eastern Congo, with refusal of\ntesting compounding the challenges posed by extremely limited sanitation\nmeasures. Camp president Dz\u2019djo Ndrutsi Etienne said at least 10 people\nwere buried in the last week alone, compared to the usual one to three\ndeaths per month. Caritas director Justin Zanamuzi said his team saw\nseveral bodies covered in cloth, including a pregnant woman and\nchildren. Footage showed health workers in hazmat suits disinfecting\nbodies and preparing a small coffin. \u201cOur team tried to persuade people\nto accept doctors examining the bodies. They flatly refused,\u201d Zanamuzi\nsaid. Health workers have since taken samples from five victims and are\nawaiting results. Cholera, which shares symptoms with Ebola, also\nspreads quickly in impoverished communities, though it is not endemic to\nthe area.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mass-deaths-continue-as-medical-workers-fall-and-virus-grows-more-lethal-1781945445", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }