MSF warns Ebola outbreak is outpacing response in DR Congo

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are failing to keep pace with the spread of the disease, as the death toll surpasses 180, reports Africanews with AFP on June 16th.

According to the World Health Organization, 782 Ebola cases and 181 deaths have been confirmed in the DRC since the outbreak was declared on May 15th. A further 19 cases, including two deaths, have been reported in neighbouring Uganda. However, MSF believes the true scale of the outbreak is likely much larger than official figures suggest.

In a statement released on June 15th, MSF emergency medical coordinator Kate White said significant gaps remain in the response, making it difficult to determine the full extent of the crisis. She warned that treatment centres in the northeastern province of Ituri are struggling to cope with the growing number of patients.

White said many people are arriving for treatment only after their condition has become severe and that most had not previously been identified through contact-tracing efforts. She added that weaknesses in testing remain one of the biggest obstacles to controlling the outbreak.

Although laboratory capacity has increased and mobile testing kits designed for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola have begun arriving in eastern DRC, access to testing remains limited in many communities. Delays in receiving laboratory results are also slowing efforts to identify and isolate cases quickly.

The situation is further complicated by insecurity in several affected areas, making it difficult for health workers to reach vulnerable populations and monitor the spread of the virus. In North Kivu province, only one laboratory is currently capable of testing blood samples for Ebola.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. Cases have been detected in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Health experts have warned that without stronger containment measures, the outbreak could continue to expand. The DRC has experienced several major Ebola epidemics in the past, including the 2018–2020 outbreak that claimed nearly 2,300 lives. The disease has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the last five decades.

Africanews with AFP, Maghrebi.org