The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading rapidly beyond its original epicentre in Ituri province, raising concerns among health authorities across Africa.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday that although new cases and deaths have started to decline in Ituri, the province where the outbreak began, infections are increasing sharply in neighbouring North Kivu and Haut-Uele provinces.
According to the latest government figures, Congo has recorded 6,843 cases and 3,310 deaths since the outbreak was declared. More than 5,400 of the cases have been reported in Ituri, while North Kivu has recorded more than 1,000 cases.
The situation in North Kivu is particularly worrying. Africa CDC officials said new cases there more than doubled during the latest three-week period, increasing from 165 to 381 cases.
The response is being made more difficult by insecurity, population displacement and shortages of healthcare workers. Fighting involving the M23 rebel group has also complicated efforts to reach communities affected by the virus in North Kivu.
Health authorities are also concerned about people living in displacement camps, where crowded conditions can make it harder to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Congo has started a vaccination campaign using the Ervebo vaccine, which has been effective against previous Ebola outbreaks caused by the Zaire strain. However, the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no fully approved vaccine or treatment specifically designed for the strain. Clinical trials are underway to develop better protection.
Another major challenge is the limited supply of vaccines. Congo has so far received around 70,000 doses, according to Africa CDC officials.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that the response is being slowed by shortages of trained medical workers, funding and international partners. Authorities have been establishing treatment centres closer to affected communities as the outbreak spreads geographically.
The WHO has warned that the outbreak could eventually become larger than the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
For now, health authorities are focusing on vaccination, treatment, contact tracing and improving access to affected communities in an effort to prevent the outbreak from spreading even further.
