Despite weeks of ongoing efforts, the Ebola epidemic in Central Africa is not only not under control, but is also growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the risk of the infection spreading to neighboring countries increasing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
The current outbreak is the most significant the country has ever faced, the UN health agency said.
To contain the spread of the infection, significantly larger-scale preemptive actions are needed, the organization said in a statement today.
More new cases have been reported in the past week of infections (567) and more deaths (296) than in any of the previous weeks, the WHO said. According to its data, laboratory-confirmed cases totaled 3,605, of which 1,587 resulted in death, and 651 people recovered from infection.
The previous most serious outbreak of the disease in the DR Congo was between 2018 and 2020, when 3,317 confirmed cases were recorded.
The current outbreak is caused by the "Bundiboujo" variant, for which there is still no approved vaccine. Clinical trials of a new vaccine in development are currently underway.
According to the WHO, the higher number of reported cases is the result, in part, of more effective epidemiological surveillance and a larger number of laboratory tests. "However, it is largely due to the expansion of the outbreak," the organization added.
Currently, up to 80% of the contacts of the infected are being traced - for three weeks. However, according to experts, this share needs to reach 95%. In addition, health workers face a complex security situation given the clashes between rebel groups, hundreds of thousands of displaced people and deep distrust among the population.