A doctor who was working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has tested positive for Ebola after returning home to France. The French health ministry confirmed the patient had been on a humanitarian mission and is currently isolating. Contact tracing is underway for those who may have been exposed, and authorities stated that the general risk for Europe remains low.
Outbreak Worsens in DRC
Last week, it was revealed that the 'first line of defence' against a deadly strain of Ebola has collapsed. The DRC is facing its largest ever outbreak of the virus, with nearly 781 infected and 267 dead. However, Oxfam has warned that the true toll is likely far higher, as the country’s contact tracing programme and water infrastructure are at breaking point.
Only one in five health centres in the northeastern province of Ituri, the worst-affected region, has access to enough clean water. In Mongbwalo, a town of 140,000 people, only two in 10 have access to clean water, and a quarter have access to working hygiene facilities.
Why This Outbreak Is Concerning
The strain of Ebola virus behind this outbreak, known as Bundibugyo, is rare and has no vaccine or treatment. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed this is the largest Bundibugyo outbreak on record. In North Kivu province, Ebola cases are even being identified after the patient has died, unaware they had the illness.
What Is Ebola?
Ebola is a rare haemorrhagic fever which spreads through the fluids of infected and dead patients. Symptoms can start between 2 and 21 days after being infected and can appear suddenly. They include flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, extreme tiredness, and a headache. Other symptoms include: bleeding from the nose, gums, or vagina; vomiting; diarrhoea and tummy pain; a skin rash; yellowing of the skin and eyes; blood in stool; extensive bruising; bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, or mouth; muscle pain; sore throat; and blood in vomit or stool.
Contact Tracing and Healthcare Crisis
Contact tracing – identifying the people an infected person has come into contact with – has just 43% coverage. Oxfam fieldwork found that there are just 0.2 doctors per 1,000 people, and some 70 health facilities have been destroyed by conflict. The years-long violence that has torn the DRC has displaced millions, including people in Ituri, further complicating contact tracing efforts.
