More than 5,000 Ebola cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the African Union’s health agency describing the outbreak as the country’s worst on record.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that 5,021 confirmed cases had been recorded, resulting in 2,378 deaths.
The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, is the 17th Ebola outbreak reported in the DRC and is believed to have been spreading for several weeks before it was officially announced.
The disease has affected areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country, where weak state presence, limited health infrastructure and the activities of armed groups have complicated efforts to contain the virus.
The current outbreak has already surpassed the previous deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which occurred between 2018 and 2020.
That outbreak claimed 2,299 lives from 3,381 confirmed cases, according to World Health Organisation figures based on Congolese data.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Tuesday that the situation remained serious.
“The epidemic is far from being under control”.
“The risk of further national and international spread remains high,” Tedros said.
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
The current outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. However, clinical trials are currently underway.
Efforts to contain the outbreak have been slowed by concerns over the organisation of the response, public mistrust and resistance within some communities.
“Difficulties persist, including refusals of testing and resistance in some communities, which hinders surveillance and control activities,” Africa CDC stated.
The WHO said measures were being intensified to strengthen the response and reach communities where transmission was occurring.
The European Union also announced on Tuesday that it would provide testing kits valued at €2.5m ($2.9m) to support the response.
