By Barbara Nwaiwu
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 3,200, including at least 1,405 deaths, as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.
Government data released on Sunday showed that infections increased by about 1,000 cases within 10 days, underscoring the rapid spread of the disease.
The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said nearly 90% of all confirmed cases have been recorded in Ituri Province in northeastern DRC, which shares borders with South Sudan and Uganda.
According to the UN health agency, the virus has now spread to five provinces, including two provinces that have only recently reported infections.
Speaking on the response efforts, Hedley Tah of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) said access to affected communities remains one of the biggest challenges facing humanitarian workers.
“In many cases the humanitarian community wants to help, but the real challenge is getting there,” Tah said.
He added that UNHAS is also supporting the response by transporting laboratory samples for testing to strengthen disease surveillance.
Authorities in the DRC attributed the rising number of confirmed infections partly to improved disease detection and expanded testing, which have enabled health workers to identify more cases.
Officials, however, warned that the outbreak could continue for several more months, with strikes by healthcare workers over unpaid salaries disrupting response operations in some hospitals.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons and causes severe haemorrhagic fever. The disease has claimed more than 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.
Scientists are stepping up efforts to develop vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo strain.
Oxford University announced on Friday that the first group of volunteers had received an experimental vaccine targeting the strain, while additional vaccine candidates are being fast tracked for clinical trials and two potential treatments remain under development.