Africa-Press. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to over 200 people, warning that weak contact tracing and security challenges are hindering efforts to contain the disease.
The center clarified that the number of confirmed infections has reached 875 cases, with a mortality rate of 23 percent. An official from the center expressed concern about the weak contact tracing operations.
Additionally, security challenges and the difficulty of access for response teams from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and other partners to certain areas continue to impede contact tracing efforts.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned this week that the outbreak, which was declared on May 15, has not yet peaked, indicating that containment could take a full year.
The response to the seventeenth wave of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces significant challenges, particularly in the absence of vaccines or approved treatments for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak.
The three most affected provinces in the northeast of the country—Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu—are experiencing armed conflicts and mass displacement, complicating response efforts.
The outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever has extended to neighboring Uganda; however, containment measures there have shown greater effectiveness, with authorities reporting 19 cases and two deaths, mostly among travelers coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ebola is a rare but deadly disease caused by a virus, typically affecting animals, especially fruit bats. However, outbreaks among humans can sometimes begin when people consume or handle infected animals.
The incubation period for symptoms ranges from two to 21 days after infection, with symptoms appearing suddenly, starting with flu-like or malaria-like signs, including fever, headache, and fatigue.
As the disease progresses, symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea appear, which can lead to organ failure. Some patients—though not all—experience internal and external bleeding.
The virus is transmitted from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit.
Previous Ebola outbreaks were limited and small, confined to remote rural areas. However, urban expansion is pushing larger numbers of people closer to the natural habitats of the virus, increasing the risk of transmission.
The first known case was a nurse who showed symptoms on April 24, indicating that the virus had been spreading undetected for weeks.
The nurse died in the city of Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in eastern Congo, according to the Congolese health minister. The victim’s body was then transported to the city of Mongbwalu.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that funerals pose a particular concern, as they have also contributed to the spread of the disease during previous outbreaks.
