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UN says DR Congo Ebola outbreak growing exponentially, with over 2,500 deaths recorded
The United Nations’ senior Ebola coordinator, Julian Harneis, said on Friday that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is growing “exponentially”, with over 2,500 deaths now recorded.
Harneis said “more than 2,500 people” had died, “and half of those in the last 20 days.”
“The epidemic is spreading widely. It’s now covering an area that is bigger than France…. It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,” he said.
The 17th DRC Ebola outbreak which was declared on May 15, has become the largest in the country’s history, spreading faster than any on record.
The outbreak is thought to have already begun spreading for several weeks before the date of declaration.
It has hit regions in the north and east where the state’s presence is less felt. These regions lack health infrastructure, with various armed groups roaming the areas.
According to Harneis, “if we provide more staffing, if we get more resources into remote areas across … the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, within months we can slow the transmission and move to stopping it.
“If we do not, … then this epidemic will become more deadly. It will spread wider, and it risks to spread into neighbouring countries.”
Efforts to stem the epidemic have faced several challenges, as conflict and a lack of government control and infrastructure have disrupted the effort.
Places where health workers and facilities are able to operate have come under attack by frustrated and frightened members of the communities.
Sources say over 260 attacks on health workers have occurred in the past six months, with 8 health workers killed in the process. 160 others have fallen ill to the virus, with 43 dead.
Aid workers say many locals believe the outbreak is a hoax, reacting angrily to health restrictions preventing them from burying loved ones personally.
“All of this is happening in an area that has had three decades of conflict and is generating huge humanitarian needs,” Harneis said.
