Ebola deaths at home expose gaps in DRC response, WHO says

The World Health Organization in the African Region has warned that Ebola is continuing to claim lives outside treatment centers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with 60 to 70 percent of deaths occurring at home as patients from remote communities struggle to access care.

The warning comes as the response enters a critical phase, with 4,294 confirmed cases and 1,960 deaths recorded as of Aug 8, according to the DRC government.

WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi, who recently made a visit to Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, said that the high number of deaths outside treatment centers has exposed gaps in the current response. Patients from villages without adequate health services are being forced to travel to Bunia for treatment, often arriving too late.

Janabi said discussions with community leaders, transport operators, religious leaders, and other local stakeholders have revealed that many patients are coming to Bunia from areas where treatment services are unavailable.

"Most of these deaths come from outside Bunia, where there is no real service," Janabi said, calling for greater efforts to bring treatment and prevention services closer to affected communities while strengthening public awareness about when and where patients should seek care.

"We have to protect Bunia," Janabi said, pointing to the need to establish treatment centers outside the city so patients can receive care closer to where they live.

The proposed expansion would include 400 additional beds for Ebola patients and another 100 beds for other health services, reflecting concerns that routine healthcare must continue alongside the Ebola response.

Janabi said the response is currently reaching only about one-third of the affected population, highlighting the need to reassess the approach three months into the outbreak and strengthen engagement with communities.

He cited Aru in Ituri province as an example of how a community-focused response can help contain transmission. The area had recorded no new cases for about two weeks after health teams intensified contact tracing and began strengthening response capacity in surrounding villages.

Janabi said the next eight to 12 weeks could be critical in changing the trajectory of the outbreak if government, health agencies, communities, and the media work together to improve awareness, surveillance, and access to treatment.

sharon@chinadailyafrica.com