Congo’s Ebola death toll passes 1,500 as it struggles to halt spread

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing a Democratic Republic of the Congo government update published Thursday, reported that the country’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 1,500 deaths. The update listed 3,442 infections and 1,521 deaths, with the toll rising sharply over the previous week. Africa CDC said part of that increase was linked to delayed confirmation and reporting of earlier cases and deaths.

The outbreak is centered in eastern DRC, especially remote Ituri province, which Al Jazeera reported accounts for nearly 90 percent of cases. Confirmed infections have also appeared in five other provinces, including Kisangani, one of the country’s major cities. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, for which the article notes there is no proven vaccine, complicating efforts to control transmission.

Health officials and responders face major barriers in the affected areas. Al Jazeera reported that conflict involving armed groups, limited public health resources, delayed contact tracing, difficulty reaching communities and local mistrust have all slowed the response. Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said most confirmed deaths in the previous two weeks occurred outside treatment centers, with unsafe handling of bodies contributing to further risk because Ebola victims remain infectious after death.

The response has also been disrupted by labour and security problems. Some health workers in Ituri reportedly went on strike over unpaid wages and unsafe conditions, while international partners temporarily relocated from Nyakunde after a July 15 attack on a hospital and treatment centre. The World Health Organization has assessed the risk of global spread as low, noting Ebola is not airborne; Uganda, meanwhile, declared its outbreak over after its last patient was discharged in mid-June.