BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo — The number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spiked to 904, as health workers struggle to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak in the conflict-torn eastern region.
The outbreak, which is centred in the volatile Ituri Province, has already resulted in a disputed death toll, with the Ministry of Communication reporting 119 official fatalities while regional data aggregates suggest the figure could be as high as 220.
Okay News reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern, warning that the national risk of an epidemic is “very high.”
Compounding the crisis, the current outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific therapeutic treatments available. While scientists at the University of Oxford are developing a candidate vaccine, international health officials state it will not be ready for deployment for at least six to nine months.
Containment efforts are severely hindered by widespread armed violence and community resistance. On Saturday, a youth militia stormed a hospital in Mongbwalu, forcing the evacuation of Ebola patients amidst gunfire to demand the bodies of deceased relatives. This follows recent arson attacks on two separate treatment centres in nearby towns.
The region is home to nearly a million internally displaced persons fleeing rebel groups, including the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Humanitarian organizations on the ground, including Doctors Without Borders, warn that severe shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), testing kits, and body bags—exacerbated by international funding cuts last year—have created catastrophic conditions inside displacement camps.
