WHO Says DRC Ebola Outbreak 'Outpacing Us'
WHO says delayed detection and insecurity are slowing contact tracing as more than 900 suspected cases and 101 confirmed cases are reported.
- On Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that more than 900 suspected Ebola cases have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 220 suspected deaths, as the rare Bundibugyo strain outpaces response efforts.
- Former USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk wrote that dismantling US-funded health programming in the DRC 'is likely a big factor in why this outbreak was detected so late,' after Trump administration cuts reduced disease surveillance capacity by nearly 57 per cent.
- Detection delays compounded spread: the Bundibugyo strain was not confirmed until May 15, three weeks after first symptoms appeared April 24, because local labs lacked proper equipment. Meanwhile, residents burned isolation tents over the weekend, forcing at least 25 suspected patients to flee.
- Violence and misinformation are crippling response efforts. WHO Africa's Marie Roseline Belizaire told UN News that social media campaigns are 'significantly slowing case investigations,' while attacks on treatment centers are forcing health workers to flee.
- Former UK Africa minister Rory Stewart warned the connection between aid cuts and outbreaks like this was 'very strong,' calling it a 'canary in the coal mine' for future crises. Africa CDC director Jean Kaseya unveiled a $314 million continental response plan.
253 Articles
253 Articles
Health workers battle with few resources on DR Congo's Ebola front line
Since the current outbreak was detected on May 14, more than 220 suspected deaths and 900 suspected cases have been identified, according to official figures, in what the World Health Organization has declared an international emergency.
The World Health Organization is increasingly concerned about the rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
'Some Congolese believe Westerners created this disease': Mistrust in DRC hinders fight against Ebola
Health centers and medical staff have been targeted by relatives of Ebola victims in several communities in the eastern DRC. The World Health Organization has issued the highest-level alert in response to the spread of the disease.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, who survived the virus he co-discovered in 1976, ensures that public health measures are sufficient to stop the Bundibugyo strain, with more than 900 cases in RDCongo.
‘We’re running out of time,’ says health expert on Ebola outbreak
As the World Health Organization rings the alarm about a quickly spreading Ebola outbreak in the DRC, Bianna Golodryga is joined by DRC Country Director for the International Rescue Committee Heather Kerr and Director of Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases Dr. Nahid Bhadelia.
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