BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus in Congo exceeded 8,000, while the country lacks health personnel to contain the deadly disease.
Congo announced an outbreak on May 15 caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no known treatment or vaccine, and has struggled to contain it.
The latest data from the Congolese Ministry of Health released on Sunday showed that 8,067 cases have been confirmed, with 3,901 deaths as of September 26 in 63 health zones in seven of the country’s 26 provinces, with a mortality rate of more than 48%.
“The persistently high crude case fatality rate, and in particular the persistently high death rate in communities, highlights the severity of the disease and the continuing challenges in rapid case detection and access to early and adequate care for patients,” the World Health Organization said in its latest report.
This meant that a high percentage of infected people were dying, regardless of factors such as delays in seeking help or hidden cases.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday that the outbreak was starting to impact other essential services in hotspots as resources were mobilized to fight Ebola. According to the OCHA report, routine primary health care services fell by 13% between April and June in Ituri province alone.
“The indirect impact of the outbreak reflects both reduced availability of health services – due to staffing and operational pressures – and reduced demand, with fear of infection and isolation discouraging care-seeking,” OCHA said.
Last week, the WHO said Congo lacked health workers to contain the disease. Health workers have complained of delays or missed payments, triggering several strikes. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 health workers have died since the outbreak was announced.
Some regions have shown signs of improvement, with fewer confirmed cases in recent weeks, notably in Ituri province and Haut-Uélé, but authorities say the disease is spreading more in other regions, widening its geographic reach.
According to Africa CDC data, the current outbreak has surpassed the two-year-old West Africa regional outbreak in terms of spread in the same time. As of week 19, the regional outbreak between 2014 and 2016 had recorded 3,781 cases, while the current outbreak had recorded 7,840. The WHO said it was on track to surpass the regional outbreak, which killed 11,000 people.
Containment efforts have been paralyzed by insecurity, displacement, health workers strike And intense population movements.
Gn Health
