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Agence France-Presse

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is the “fastest growing” ever, African health authorities said on Thursday, as the World Health Organization said the disease had killed 600 people.
Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 600 confirmed deaths.
“This is the fastest growing Ebola outbreak ever, not only among the previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, but all the different viruses that are causing Ebola,” Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told reporters.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak – in 2013-16 in West Africa – had 994 cases in the first six weeks, compared to 1,596 in the current one, he said.
“Unfortunately the virus is still ahead of our response. It’s moving faster than deploying the resources to control the situation,” Mankoula said, adding that the number of cases was estimated to be doubling every 28 days.
He said US$1.4 billion was needed in total for the disease and humanitarian response.

“We need to surge our response, and surging our response means financial resources, human resources,” Wessam said. “We are urging all partners, donors … to fast-track the disbursement of those resources.”
Ebola spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids. The current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo, a rare species that has no approved vaccine or treatment and is believed to have spread for some time before it was detected.
The WHO’s figures for the DR Congo, which come from the health authorities in the vast country, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 34 per cent.
A total of 285 patients in the DR Congo have recovered, while 304 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever are under investigation.
The outbreak in northeastern DR Congo has hit four provinces but is focused on Ituri province.
The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DR Congo on July 2, and is evaluating the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination.




The DR Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths in Ituri, a mineral-rich province plagued by armed groups.
“Population movements, persistent insecurity, and the fragility of the health system continue to complicate efforts to bring the outbreak under control,” Anne Ancia, the WHO’s representative in DR Congo, said on Tuesday.
She said there were now around 700 beds across 22 treatment centres and 300 more beds in the pipeline, with centres operating at around 90 per cent capacity.
More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 per cent. The WHO believes a rate of 95 per cent is needed to get on top of the outbreak.
Laboratory capacity has increased from 30 tests per day in the capital Kinshasa to more than 2,000 in decentralised labs in the affected provinces.
One of the affected provinces is South Kivu, which has seen clashes between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.
“Before Ebola struck, millions were already facing conflict, hunger, displacement, weak basic services and limited healthcare,” Tom Fletcher, head of the UN’s humanitarian operations, said in a communique.
“DRC is one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. Recent cuts in humanitarian funding have made the response even harder,” he said.


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Africa

Ebola outbreak is ‘fastest growing ever’ as 600 die in DR Congo

A health worker takes a woman’s temperature in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, in June. Photo: TNS

Caskets outside the Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, DR Congo. Photo: Reuters

Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo as citizens mourn hundreds

Health workers in Bunia, eastern Congo, where Ebola clinical trials are scheduled to take place. Photo: AP

Health workers at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia on Friday. Ebola clinical trials are taking place there. Photo: AP

Health workers in the DRC are trying to help patients recover from Ebola. Hundreds have died. Photo: AP

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa talks to an official, alongside DRC President Félix Tshisekedi (not pictured) during a visit to the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo at 1,274, including 360 deaths

Medical staff carry an Ebola patient to a treatment centre in Rwampara in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late May. Photo: AP

A priest conducts a blessing ceremony on June 19 for a fourth DRC child who died from Ebola at an orphanage in Bunia, Ituri Province. Children account for over 25 per cent of deaths, according to the UN. Photo: via TNS

A technician trains healthcare workers in Kigali, Rwanda on June 24 on how to detect Ebola Bundibugyo and other pathogens. Photo: AP

A woman holds a child during an Ebola awareness session in Ituri province on June 13. Photo: Reuters

France confirms Ebola virus in doctor who worked in DR Congo

Health workers tend to an Ebola patient in Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 18. Photo: AP

Asia on Ebola alert: could virus slip through region’s defences?

A health worker dries gumboots and gloves under the sun at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on Monday, amid the Ebola outbreak. Photo: AFP

Villagers wash their hands as a preventive measure against Ebola after attending a church service in Rwanpara, Ituri, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Travellers arrive at Changi International Airport in Singapore in April 2022. The city state says it is closely monitoring the Ebola outbreak and has stepped up precautionary health measures. Photo: AFP

Travellers from international flights arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in May. Thailand has ramped up Ebola screening measures in the wake of the outbreak in Africa. Photo: EPA

Southeast Asian leaders at the Asean summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on May 8. Asean has sought to build a stronger regional biosecurity architecture to boost outbreak preparedness. Photo: AP

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World

The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response


The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response.


Ebola outbreak is ‘fastest growing ever’ as 600 die in DR Congo

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response

The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response