Congo Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Exceeds 1,000, Officials Warn of Worsening Crisis
8 verified4 unconfirmed1 contested
Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak has become the fastest on record, with official figures showing at least 999 deaths as of Monday and Africa’s top health body confirming more than 1,000 deaths by Wednesday. The outbreak, declared May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. Officials report 2,473 cases have been recorded, with 737 patients still in isolation or hospitalized. More than 80% of new cases are emerging through unknown chains of transmission, and over 60% of deaths occur in communities before patients reach care. Community resistance to safe burial teams and attacks on health workers have hampered the response, with some burial teams requiring security escorts. Health workers in some areas have gone on strike over unpaid wages. Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya called for intensified efforts, warning the outbreak could become one of the worst on record.
What’s verified
The outbreak was declared on May 15 and is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
As of Monday, Congo’s Ministry of Health had recorded 2,473 cases, with 737 patients in isolation or hospitalized.
Officials warn that 80% of new cases have emerged through unknown chains of transmission.
More than 60% of deaths are occurring in the community before patients reach care.
Community resistance to burial teams is a major challenge, and burial teams have required security escorts.
Attacks on health facilities and response teams have occurred, and some health workers have gone on strike over unpaid wages.
Less than 9% of expected contacts from confirmed cases are currently being monitored.
A member of a burial team was injured when assailants threw stones at their vehicle in Bunia last week.
Where accounts differ
The death toll differs between sources. One source reports at least 999 deaths as of Monday, based on Congo’s Ministry of Health data. Another source reports that Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya confirmed 1,031 deaths as of Wednesday. The two numbers cover different timeframes and different reporting authorities.
Not yet confirmed
The World Health Organization has said the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official figures indicate, according to one source.
One source reports that a humanitarian worker said poor coordination, delays in transferring patients, and waits of more than four days for test results have hampered the response.
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have modeled a worst-case scenario in which the outbreak could approach the scale of the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, according to one source.
One source includes remarks from Trish Newport of Doctors Without Borders and Dr. Jean Nachega of the University of Pittsburgh, neither of which appear in the other source.
Key figures
Dr. Jean Kaseya – Director-General, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Robert Ndjalonga – Head of civil protection, Ituri province
Pierre Akilimali – Ebola response incident manager, National Public Health Institute of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sources: abcnews.com, statnews.com
