The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not yet peaked and may take a year to be contained, the Red Cross said on Tuesday, amid growing warnings of serious shortcomings in the treatment of the virus. G7 leaders meeting in Evian, France, on Tuesday called for a “strong and coordinated response” to contain the outbreak that has killed nearly 200 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. As efforts to curb the outbreak grow, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Tuesday joined a growing chorus of warnings about the growing scale of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in particular. “I think the peak is not beyond us, but in front of us,” Bruno Michon, director of outbreak operations at the International Federation, told reporters in Geneva.
“We fear this will last for one year” before the epidemic ends, he said, speaking from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in northeastern DRC, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, 808 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, including 192 deaths, according to the latest WHO figures.
– Fears of “geographical expansion” –
The response to the epidemic, the 17th epidemic to strike the vast central African country, has faced enormous challenges.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the current outbreak.
The three affected provinces in north-eastern DRC – Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu – have long been plagued by conflict and mass displacement, further complicating the response.
The region has seen a significant rise in conflict casualties since the outbreak began, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, adding pressure on the already fragile health system.
“There are fears of a sudden geographical expansion of the epidemic if public health measures are not implemented quickly,” the Congolese National Institute of Public Health warned in its daily situation report.
The outbreak has already spread to neighboring Uganda, which has so far recorded 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MSF and Oxfam warned this week that the full extent of the Ebola virus, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, remains unclear.
“No one knows the true scale or exact location of the outbreak,” Kate White, MSF’s medical emergency coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said on Monday, warning that “testing remains one of the most important vulnerabilities.”
Michonne agreed.
“It is very difficult to know exactly how widespread the epidemic is,” he said.
– ‘Blind spots’ –
Meanwhile, Oxfam attributed inadequate contact tracing to “the withdrawal of US funding for disease surveillance and severe funding shortfalls.”
The relief organization also pointed to severe shortages of clean water in Ebola-hit areas, as well as a scarcity of basic protective equipment for health workers.
While testing capacity has been significantly boosted in recent weeks, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic acknowledged on Tuesday that “blind spots” remain.
“There may be chains of transmission that have not been discovered,” he told reporters in Geneva.
The Red Cross’s Michon said the lack of trust among residents in a region where the Congolese state has been absent from many areas for decades is another major obstacle.
As in previous outbreaks, hospitals and medical workers in eastern DRC reported attacks and riots, with some criticizing the Congolese government’s response and others denying the presence of Ebola.
“To stop this outbreak, we need to invest not only in the medical response, but also in trust, local volunteers, community engagement and access to operations,” Michon said.
“In recent days, Red Cross volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have faced verbal abuse, threats and even physical attacks while carrying out their work,” he noted.
“Trust is central,” he said.
“Without trust, we cannot detect cases early. We cannot ensure safe burials. We cannot protect families. We cannot stop transmission.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
