WHO warns movement of infected people driving Ebola outbreak in DRC

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to expand and has not yet reached a stable phase, with population movement driving transmission despite intensified response efforts, the World Health Organization said during a media briefing on Tuesday.

WHO officials warned that the outbreak remains in an expansion phase, with infections spreading beyond the epicentre as infected people travel in search of medical care.

Health facilities in the hardest-hit areas are approaching capacity, while shortages of ambulances and protective equipment continue to hamper efforts to contain the outbreak.

The DRC has confirmed 1,561 cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola as of July 4, including 506 deaths, making it the largest outbreak ever caused by the virus strain. More than 10,000 contacts are being monitored as health authorities intensify surveillance and contact tracing.

"We would like to say it is stabilising, but frankly, we cannot say it yet," Anne Ancia, WHO representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told reporters from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the epicentre of the outbreak.

"It is still in the expansion phase, unfortunately," she said, adding that the full extent of the epidemic has not yet been fully established.

Ancia said one of the biggest drivers of transmission is the movement of infected workers from the mining town of Mongbwalu in DRC, where some leave the area instead of seeking treatment locally.

"It is really those people who are coming back, and coming back too late and going to die with their family," she said, adding that authorities are setting up additional road checkpoints to reduce further spread.

The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-affected areas where insecurity, displacement and overstretched health services have complicated response efforts. According to WHO, some Ebola treatment centres are operating at around 90 percent full capacity.

Many healthcare workers have also been infected during the outbreak, while others continue to work with inadequate protective equipment, including gloves, boots and waterproof overalls. The response was also disrupted after healthcare workers in Ituri province recently went on strike over delayed salary payments, although most have since resumed work.

WHO said it is supporting the government by strengthening case investigations and contact tracing to better understand chains of transmission and isolate exposed individuals before they can spread the virus further.

In a separate development, WHO announced that a clinical trial has begun enrolling patients in the DRC to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

sharon@chinadailyafrica.com