Ebola death toll in DR Congo rises above 300
DR Congo health officials reported 304 deaths and 1,115 confirmed Ebola infections as responders confront conflict, shortages and mistrust.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 300 people a little over a month after it was declared, the country’s National Public Health Institute said Friday. The toll underscores the difficulty of containing the Bundibugyo strain in eastern provinces affected by years of conflict and displacement.
The institute, known as INSP, said 304 people had died among 1,115 confirmed infections since the outbreak was detected on May 15. That puts the reported mortality rate at 26.3%, according to the agency.
The figures mark a sharp rise from June 18, when the African Union’s health agency had confirmed 202 deaths among 875 infections, a 23% mortality rate. The Red Cross warned last week that the outbreak had not yet reached its peak and could take as long as a year to bring under control.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. DRC authorities said in early June that several patients had been treated and cured, a rare encouraging sign in an outbreak that remains hard to manage.
Eastern provinces face the heaviest burden
The outbreak is the 17th recorded in the DRC, according to health authorities. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain driving the latest spread, adding to the strain on responders in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The affected provinces are Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, all in eastern DRC. The area has endured three decades of conflict and large-scale displacement, conditions that health officials say complicate efforts to trace cases and stop transmission.
Most of the known infections are in Ituri, a mineral-rich province where rival armed groups are active and residents move frequently. INSP said more than 91% of all infections and more than 82% of deaths have been recorded in Bunia, the provincial capital.
Health authorities have expanded containment work in Ituri, but INSP said many health facilities still lack basic supplies, including personal protective equipment and chlorine. Clinics set up by the World Health Organization and aid agencies are near capacity, the agency said.
Health workers have also been hit. INSP said at least 78 health care workers have been infected and 18 have died.
Regional spread and international case
The outbreak has crossed into Uganda, where Kampala has reported 20 confirmed infections and two deaths since May 15. Ugandan authorities said most infected people are Congolese nationals who traveled into the country, and containment measures there have been effective.
France on Wednesday reported the first confirmed Ebola case outside Africa linked to the outbreak. French authorities said the patient is a Congolese doctor who had been working in the DRC for ALIMA, an international medical aid organization.
The World Health Organization said the risk of the virus spreading in Europe is minimal and that travel restrictions are not needed. Air France, which carried the doctor back to France, has suspended flights to Kinshasa for several days.
Community mistrust remains another barrier in eastern DRC, according to officials. Some families have asked hospitals to release bodies of people who died, despite the risk of infection from touching a corpse, and reluctance to permit postmortem examinations has led officials to warn that case totals may be underestimated.
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.