Medical charity says treatment centres are under strain and surveillance gaps are allowing the virus to spread into new areas
By Bunmi Yekini
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Thursday called for an urgent expansion of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the country’s latest outbreak has grown to more than 2,000 confirmed cases and 750 deaths in just two months, overwhelming treatment centres and spreading into new areas.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has become the third-largest Ebola epidemic recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the fastest-growing on record, according to MSF.
The number of confirmed infections has more than tripled from about 650 to over 2,000 since early June, while deaths have risen more than fivefold from around 130 to more than 750 as of July 12, the organisation said.
“Every delay costs lives. We are still chasing the outbreak instead of staying ahead of it,” Trish Newport, MSF’s emergency programme manager, said in a statement.
The charity said the outbreak continued to expand geographically, with limited access to healthcare, overstretched surveillance systems and mounting pressure on treatment centres hampering efforts to contain transmission.
Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, accounts for about 90% of confirmed infections, MSF said.
In Bunia, the capital of Ituri, the 90-bed Elikiya Ebola Treatment Centre is operating close to full capacity, forcing some patients to delay seeking care until beds become available, according to the organisation.
“In Bunia, the 90-bed Elikiya Ebola Treatment Centre is almost always operating at full capacity. People regularly tell us they prefer to wait at home and come only when a bed becomes available,” said Sylvie Kaczmarczyk, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Bunia.
In Mongbwalu, another heavily affected area in Ituri, MSF said many patients were arriving at treatment centres in critical condition after delays in diagnosis and referral.
The organisation said it had treated 57 Ebola survivors in Mongbwalu since the start of its response, while more than 110 patients had died.
MSF called on Congolese health authorities and international partners to strengthen surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, community engagement and patient care, while ensuring that other essential health services remain available.
It also said restrictions including border closures, self-monitoring requirements and measures affecting humanitarian personnel had complicated the deployment and rotation of specialised Ebola staff.
MSF said it currently operates seven Ebola treatment centres and more than 15 isolation units across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo provinces, with a combined capacity of more than 430 beds.
Since the outbreak began, its teams have admitted more than 968 patients, including 357 confirmed Ebola cases, and supported the recovery of 116 survivors, the organisation said.
The outbreak is unfolding amid conflict, mass displacement and other disease outbreaks, including cholera and malaria, adding pressure to an already strained health system, MSF said.