Ebola death toll surpasses 4,000 as DR Congo struggles to suppress outbreak

Burning of a Ebola-hit transit camp sends 19,000 fleeing, illustrating the difficulties of controlling epidemic.

Medical workers test for the Ebola virus in a mobile lab set in Butembo, Congo [File: Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/AP Photo]

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has now killed more than 4,000 people, according to government data, making it the worst epidemic in the country’s history .

Figures released on Friday showed that the death toll has risen to 4,018, and confirmed cases had ⁠reached 8,300 across seven provinces, as the government continues to struggle to contain the outbreak.

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Weak infrastructure, the remoteness of the region in eastern DRC, and ongoing conflict with armed groups near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda have hindered efforts to respond to cases quickly and effectively.

The United Nations reported on Friday that an Ebola-hit camp housing a transit centre for infected patients was burned by soldiers earlier this week as they were looking for weapons on the outskirts of Bunia, capital city of Ituri Province, which is at the epicentre of the outbreak.

The incident forced 19,000 people to flee the camp.

“The enormous challenge of halting the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just became even harder after a key transit centre for patients requiring treatment burned down in Ituri province,” the UN said.

People’s mistrust and anger towards health workers and authorities have also contributed to the obstacles the government faces in its efforts to contain the outbreak.

A senior ‌member of DRC’s governing Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party was beaten to death days ago after taking part ⁠in a radio programme to raise awareness about the epidemic.

The attack on Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a local official with UDPS, took place last Sunday at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in the eastern North Kivu province. His house was set on fire afterwards, and he died at hospital from his injuries.

The World Health Organization has warned that the epidemic is “ far from over ” and on track to surpass the regional 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the current epidemic became the largest and deadliest in the DRC after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.

Several treatments and vaccines are being trialled against Bundibugyo, but currently, there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

The current outbreak, which is the DRC’s 17th, has spread rapidly since it was officially declared on May 15.

More than ⁠2,000 patients have recovered from the Ebola epidemic so far. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest news conference that the number of confirmed cases is falling, although that could be attributed to insecurity and challenges in getting communities to cooperate in some of the hotspots.

埃博拉疫情肆虐的中转营地被烧毁，导致 19000 人逃离家园，这说明控制疫情的难度很大。

在刚果布滕博设立的移动实验室里，医务人员正在检测埃博拉病毒。[图片：Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/AP Photo]

根据政府数据，刚果民主共和国的埃博拉疫情已造成 4000 多人死亡，成为该国历史上最严重的疫情。

周五公布的数据显示，死亡人数已上升至 4,018 人，确诊病例已达 8,300 例，遍及七个省份，政府仍在努力控制疫情爆发。

世界卫生组织称，刚果民主共和国埃博拉疫情蔓延至两个新的卫生区（共4个卫生区，此为第1个）。

欧盟为应对全球危机解锁人道主义援助（共4项，此为第2项）

刚果民主共和国埃博拉病例超过8000例，该国努力控制疫情，此为4例病例中的第3例。

列表 4/4：哀悼者埋葬因捍卫埃博拉应对措施而遇害的刚果民主共和国官员

刚果民主共和国东部地区基础设施薄弱、地处偏远，以及与南苏丹、乌干达和卢旺达边境附近武装团体的持续冲突，阻碍了对案件的快速有效应对。

联合国周五报告称，本周早些时候，士兵在伊图里省首府布尼亚郊区搜寻武器时，烧毁了一个曾爆发埃博拉疫情的营地，该营地是感染患者的中转中心。伊图里省是此次疫情的中心。

该事件迫使19000人逃离营地。

联合国表示：“在伊图里省一个重要的患者转运中心被烧毁后，阻止埃博拉病毒在刚果民主共和国（刚果（金））蔓延的巨大挑战变得更加艰难。”

民众对医务人员和当局的不信任和愤怒也加剧了政府在控制疫情方面面临的困难。

刚果民主共和国执政党争取民主和社会进步联盟（UDPS）的一名高级成员在几天前参加了一档旨在提高人们对疫情认识的广播节目后，被殴打致死。

上周日，UDPS地方官员玛丽-塞莱斯坦·卡隆德瓦在北基伍省东部埃博拉疫情热点地区布滕博的家中遭到袭击。袭击发生后，他的房子被纵火焚烧，他本人因伤势过重在医院去世。

世界卫生组织警告称，疫情“远未结束”，并且有可能超过 2014-2016 年西非埃博拉疫情的规模，那次疫情造成超过 11000 人死亡，主要集中在几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂。

此次疫情由邦迪布焦埃博拉病毒株引起，疫情规模超过 2018-2020 年的疫情，成为刚果民主共和国历史上规模最大、死亡人数最多的疫情。

目前有几种治疗方法和疫苗正在试验中，用于治疗邦迪布焦，但目前还没有获批的疫苗或治疗方法。

此次疫情是刚果民主共和国的第 17 次疫情，自 5 月 15 日正式宣布以来迅速蔓延。

迄今为止，已有超过2000名埃博拉患者康复。非洲疾病控制和预防中心在最近的新闻发布会上表示，确诊病例数量正在下降，但这可能与一些疫情热点地区的安全局势不稳以及社区合作困难有关。