DR Congo Ebola outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic ever recorded in the country.
According to the official figures, there have been 4,381 confirmed cases with 2,011 deaths. The Ebola outbreak is spreading across five provinces in the eastern region of the country. Health organizations are trying to control the outbreak; however, they face challenges associated with conflict, lack of infrastructure, and healthcare disruption.
The Ebola outbreak was declared officially on May 15; however, genetic analysis revealed that the spread started in February.
Death toll rising at alarming rates
This is a very fast outbreak with major concerns for health professionals.
It took around nine weeks to hit 1,000 deaths. The death toll then doubled within just three weeks, showing the quickness with which the infection is spreading.
The current outbreak is already the second largest ever seen, second only to the West African Ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016 that saw over 28,000 people infected, and over 11,000 deaths.
But what is worrying is that the speed at which deaths are occurring now seems to be putting pressure on the efforts made in containing the disease.
The current case fatality rate for confirmed cases is at about 45.9%, which was 39.6% during the West African epidemic.
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A Rare Variant of Ebola is Driving This Outbreak
This outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola, which is a rare one and has no vaccines or treatment as of now.
Clinical trials have already started on possible vaccines and medicines for this disease in the province of Ituri, which is at the center of the outbreak.
According to experts, many patients arrive at health centers when it is already too late, while others do not even seek medical attention. The delay in identification of the symptoms may result in infections being transferred to other people, including family members, health workers, and the general public.
According to Paul Hunter, who is a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, without the vaccine, controlling the outbreak is dependent on early detection and treatment of the patients in controlled environments.
Conflict Makes Containment Difficult
The outbreak of the disease is taking place in an area which is already facing issues of conflict and displacement.
There has been violence in Ituri and other regions of Congo for several years now, while difficult terrain and poor communication make it hard for the medical team to access remote locations.
The region is bordered by South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda, adding worries about cross-border spread.
The ongoing conflict has displaced communities, and trade as well as mining continues to cause the movement of people around the region, making it harder for health officials to trace contacts.
Pay-related strikes have also interrupted the process in some places.
Delayed Diagnosis Allowed the Virus to Gain a Lead
According to the World Health Organization, there is a second significant problem: Some of the initial cases were misdiagnosed, thinking they had malaria and typhoid infections.
Also, initial tests were conducted on another strain of Ebola, making it difficult for health experts to diagnose the outbreak before it got out of hand.
This is especially important because the control of the virus requires quick detection of the infected people and the tracing of anyone who has come into contact with them.
Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO’s regional director for Africa, has even said that the teams involved in controlling the disease are actually struggling to contain an epidemic that is moving faster than them.
Restrictions Are Put in Place
There have been several measures put in place in order to control the outbreak.
Public gatherings have been limited, while the closure of the Ituri province’s main airport has been put in place in an effort to contain it.
But these restrictions are hard to enforce in an area where people are reliant on movement for trade and other needs.
