The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tripled in suspected cases within a week, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its threat assessment to “very high” for the country. As of Friday, nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been reported, up from 246 cases and 65 deaths when the outbreak was first announced a week earlier.
Rapid Spread and Community Distrust
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as “deeply worrisome”. The outbreak is spreading rapidly, and efforts to contain it are being hampered by significant distrust among local populations and recent aid cuts that have reduced staffing and equipment.
On Thursday, a crowd in Rwampara, Ituri province, set fire to tents and medical supplies outside a hospital where medics were setting up an Ebola treatment centre. The crowd was reportedly angered by not being allowed to retrieve the body of a local man who died at the hospital. Strict infection control protocols require that Ebola victims be buried in a specific manner to prevent further transmission.
Response Efforts at Risk
Dr Tedros warned that “significant distrust of outside authorities among the local population” is complicating the response. “Building trust in the affected communities is critical to a successful response, and is one of our highest priorities,” he stated.
WHO’s representative in the DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, said the attack would “significantly jeopardise” response operations in Rwampara. The treatment centre was designed to isolate Ebola patients from others. Despite the setback, Ancia expressed hope that the centre could be operational again within 24 hours.
Bundibugyo Strain and Regional Spread
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist. Most cases are concentrated in Ituri province, with a few reported elsewhere in the DRC and two cases in neighbouring Uganda.
Officials noted that rising case numbers may paradoxically be a “good sign”, indicating better detection. A slight decrease in the proportion of samples testing positive suggests more people with potential symptoms are being identified. However, Ancia admitted, “We are running behind, we are not yet under control.”
Resource Constraints
Humanitarian organisations working in Ituri reported insufficient resources for an adequate response. Dr Amadou Bocoum, country director for Care International in the DRC, said aid cuts last year meant “the system was not able to work properly because of lack of equipment”, and lower staff levels hindered case finding and contact tracing.
Julie Drouet, country director for Action Against Hunger, added: “Everyone is working to try to implement as quickly as possible … the response in the field, however it is not quite yet ready. It is not really yet up to the emergency that we have in Congo at the moment.”
Potential Treatment and Global Risk
During a WHO press briefing, scientists identified an antiviral drug, obeldesivir, that may prevent contacts of Bundibugyo cases from developing the disease. Trials are being established in affected areas.
While the WHO raised its risk assessment for the DRC to “very high”, it maintained that the risk at the regional level remains high and at the global level low.
