The United Nations has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, with the death toll nearing 3,000.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said humanitarian agencies and Congolese authorities had significantly expanded their response, but the rate of transmission was still exceeding containment efforts.
“The response is growing and has been scaled up, but the virus is moving faster,” Fletcher said.
“And unless we scale up urgently, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow.”
According to figures released by DRC authorities, more than 6,100 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,950 deaths had been recorded by Monday, with Ituri Province accounting for more than 5,000 infections.
The outbreak, known as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, was declared in the DRC on May 15 and has continued to spread rapidly.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated materials.
Health authorities therefore rely heavily on early detection, isolation, contact tracing and treatment to break chains of transmission.
Fletcher said containing the outbreak would require stronger political commitment, unrestricted humanitarian access and substantially more international funding.
“We have the experience, the tools and extraordinary people risking their lives to stop this epidemic. What we need now is political will, access and resources,,” he said.
He urged governments and international partners to ensure humanitarian workers can reach affected communities, particularly areas facing insecurity and poor infrastructure.
The UN said a funding deficit of about $1.1bn is currently restricting efforts to expand disease surveillance, treatment, community mobilisation and preparedness measures in neighbouring countries.
Fletcher disclosed that more than $57m had been released from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support response and preparedness activities in the DRC and surrounding countries.
He called on the international community to keep Ebola high on the global health agenda, warning that further delays could allow the virus to spread beyond the current affected areas.
The World Health Organisation recently declared Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak over after authorities implemented rapid detection, contact tracing, isolation, clinical care, infection prevention and stronger surveillance measures.
“We have beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again,” Fletcher said.
Meanwhile, the UN International Organization for Migration has carried out nearly 23 million health screenings in the DRC and neighbouring countries as part of efforts to limit cross-border transmission.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the “screenings were helping authorities monitor population movements, identify possible cases and reduce cross-border transmission risks.”
