Ebola Outbreak In Democratic Republic Of The Congo Spirals, MSF Intensifies Response

Simon Mardel, an NHS consultant in emergency medicine, said the “hardest working cleaners, nurses and doctors” face the highest risk as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spirals out of control.

“Ebola outbreak in Ituri, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), once again illustrates the collision between a health crisis and armed conflict”

Africtelegraph

The Independent reports that healthcare staff now work with layers of PPE that limit their time on isolation wards to a maximum of 40 minutes, while Mardel described earlier 2000-outbreak conditions in Gulu, northern Uganda, when he and colleagues worked 12-hour shifts with surgical masks, apron, gloves and eye protection.

Africtelegraph

The Independent says the current outbreak is the third largest on record with more than 1,000 cases and 233 deaths, and it notes the World Health Organisation has declared it a public health emergency of “international concern”.

It also says the outbreak may have started in January and spread unchecked for several months before being officially confirmed by the Congolese Ministry of Health on 15 May, and it adds that possible cases were detected in Brazil and Italy before being ruled out by health authorities.

Médecins sans frontières (MSF) said that as of May 28 there were 125 confirmed cases, 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths reported across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, while warning that the true scale remains impossible to assess due to extremely limited testing capacity.

MSF Representative in DRC Ewald Stals said the outbreak strikes regions already weakened by years of conflict and mass population displacement, and MSF Deputy Director of Operations Dr. Alan Gonzalez said rapid identification of cases, contact tracing, and isolation of patients are becoming particularly complex.

MSF reported that Ituri concentrates more than 90% of the suspected cases notified, and it said “hundreds of samples still await processing in laboratories” while isolation and patient care capacities remain insufficient.

CNN

Africtelegraph reported that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged belligerents in an open letter published on May 28 to observe a truce, even if temporary, to clear corridors for intervention by medical teams.

Africtelegraph described Mongbwalu as a health epicenter in a siege zone in Djugu territory under a state of siege regime established since 2021, and it said the fight against Ebola requires a demanding supply chain including treatment centers, personal protective equipment, and dignified and secure burials.

The Independent added that the outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain for which there is no vaccine, and it quoted Mardel saying, “The words an epidemiologist should never want to hear are ‘unrecognised chains of transmission’.”

The Independent said a person who has died from Ebola remains highly infectious because the virus can persist in bodily fluids after death, and it described specially trained teams using strict protective measures in handling and burial.

“Facing the rapid spread of the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, MSF teams are mobilizing alongside the local Ministry of Health to try to contain the virus's spread and strengthen patient care”

Médecins sans frontières

MSF said it is constructing an Ebola treatment center with a capacity of 65 beds in Ituri to receive confirmed and suspected cases, and it reported that in Goma an 80-bed Ebola treatment center has begun welcoming its first patients.

Africtelegraph said public trust is central to the response and that Mongbwalu and its region concentrate artisanal gold mining activity that draws a mobile workforce, with pendular movements multiplying potential contact points.

Africtelegraph also said the DRC fears regional spread that would again mobilize continental health emergency mechanisms, notably Africa CDC, and it framed the WHO ceasefire call as aimed at restoring operational windows for contact tracing and isolation.

The Independent warned that Mardel fears “a lot of the lessons haven’t been learned,” and it quoted him comparing the current tragedy to “watching a train crash in slow motion” as he monitors the outbreak from his home in Cumbria.