The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not yet stabilised and continues to expand, with transmission fuelled by population movement, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Tuesday.
The DRC has confirmed 1,561 cases, including 506 deaths, in the worst-ever outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola for which there is no proven treatment or cure.
“It is in the expansion phase unfortunately. We would like to say it is stabilising but we cannot say it yet,” Dr Anne Ancia, WHO representative in the DRC, told reporters by video link from Bunia, the epicentre of the epidemic.
She said major challenges remained, including the near-saturation of some Ebola treatment centres with occupancy levels about 90%.
Another difficulty is that workers falling ill in the mining town of Mongbwalu are not seeking treatment locally, but instead travelling and spreading the disease to new regions, she said.
“Population movements, persistent insecurity and the fragility of the health system continue to complicate efforts to bring the outbreak under control.”
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.