A World Health Organization (WHO) representative has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already claimed at least 131 lives, may be spreading more rapidly than initially believed. Dr. Anne Ancia told the BBC that ongoing investigations reveal the virus has reached additional areas.
Health officials reported more than 513 suspected cases in DR Congo as of Tuesday, with one fatality recorded in neighbouring Uganda. However, modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis suggested “substantial” under-detection, indicating the true number of infections could already exceed 1,000.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak a global health emergency last week, expressed deep concern over its scale and speed. Authorities fear the epidemic may have been circulating for weeks before its detection on April 24. There is currently no vaccine for the strain driving the surge in cases, though WHO is assessing whether alternative treatments could offer protection.
Speaking to BBC World Service Newsday, Ancia said DR Congo’s Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, is a “very unsecured area with lots of movement of population”, making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease.
She continued: “The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across the border and also in other provinces.” The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.
There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and is under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels. High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk and spread of the virus.
Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its borders with DR Congo. An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.
Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.
Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, with fever, headache and tiredness.
The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this rise in cases is rare, and has previously only caused two outbreaks, when it killed about a third of those infected.
Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.
It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.
The disease spread to a number of countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, UK and Italy, killing 11,325 people.
Source: BBC