DR Congo · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Reaches 8,067 Cases and 3,901 Deaths
Ebola outbreak in DRC reaches 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths. Case-fatality rate stands at 48.4 percent.
Whether health worker strikes are the key constraint.
4 of 5 outlets skipped it: a party member was beaten to death after promoting awareness.
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NBC News
“Health workers have complained about delayed or missing payments, triggering several strikes.”Read the original ↗
NBC emphasises strike and pay problems among health workers; CIDRAP emphasises case-detection delays and access to early care.
8,067 Cases, 3,901 Deaths
The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 8,067 Ebola cases and 3,901 deaths, a fatality rate of 48.4 percent, as the outbreak reached the worst point in the country’s history, according to government data. The DRC’s public health institute said the latest report put the number of cases at 8,067 and deaths at 3,901, and it warned the outbreak was still “far from over,” according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, and the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak has spread rapidly as it bypassed containment and control attempts.
The African Union’s health agency, Africa CDC, said the number of cases had levelled off after a rapid increase, while it still considered the outbreak “not under control”. The United States announced it was releasing a further $267 million to help fight Ebola, as the DRC struggled to control the outbreak.
Violence and distrust
Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the UDPS party’s federal executive committee in Butembo, was attacked by local residents after appearing on a radio show where he discussed Ebola prevention measures, according to Congolese health authorities. A senior member of the ruling UDPS party was beaten to death after raising awareness about the epidemic on radio, a party representative said on Monday, and the killing happened on Sunday in Butembo in North Kivu province. The World Health Organization said the outbreak is “far from over” and on track to surpass the regional 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
The WHO also warned that the continuously high case fatality ratio and the continuous high rate of deaths occurring in communities highlighted “persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care,” according to its latest report. Al Jazeera said the epidemic bypassed containment and control attempts, and it described severe crowding in treatment centers alongside record increases in infection rates, reaching 73% in some provinces.
What comes next
The DRC’s outbreak was described as entrenched in seven provinces, and the WHO said Ituri province was by far the hardest hit with 6,032 confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak. The WHO said North Kivu had a cumulative 1,480 confirmed cases, including 567 reported in the past 21 days, and it warned the outbreak remained a sign that patients were not seeking supportive care early in their illnesses. The DRC’s public health institute highlighted a “complete shortage” of stocks of an experimental vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain in Tshopo, where cases have been recorded.
The DRC rolled out Ebola vaccine for health workers, and the AFP-linked reporting said around 70,000 doses of Ervebo were allocated to the DRC in August. The outbreak’s spread was also tied to movement between cities, and the United Nations expanded testing and placed barriers between cities and neighborhoods to curb transmission, according to Al Jazeera’s report.