DR Congo Ebola cases top 5,500 as WHO warns of ‘defining moment’

Kinshasa, Aug 24 (IANS) Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 5,500, with more than 2,600 deaths, government figures showed Monday, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the outbreak reached a “defining moment” more than 100 days after it was declared.

The latest official tally, with data through Saturday, recorded 5,514 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths, putting the case fatality rate at 47.9 per cent. A total of 1,200 patients have recovered.

The outbreak has spread to 57 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo provinces, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The WHO said Monday that the epidemic has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, warning that transmission continues to outpace control efforts.

“This outbreak has reached a defining moment,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi said in a statement. “The choices we make now will determine how quickly we can bring this outbreak under control, protect and save lives.”

Ituri remains the epicentre, accounting for about 85 per cent of all cases and 79 per cent of deaths, according to the WHO.

Deaths occurring outside Ebola treatment centres remain a major concern. The WHO said community deaths accounted for around 60 per cent of fatalities recorded in recent weeks, pointing to persistent problems with early detection, referral and access to treatment.

The organisation said insecurity, recurrent conflict, population displacement, attacks on health facilities, community reluctance and difficult access were continuing to hamper operations, particularly in eastern DRC.

“We can bring the Ebola outbreak under control but only through scaled-up action in affected communities,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, calling for sustained resources and stronger cooperation among national and local authorities, affected communities and international partners.

Response capacity has expanded significantly since the outbreak began. The number of laboratories capable of testing for Ebola has risen from one to 19, with capacity to process more than 3,000 samples a day, while treatment capacity has grown from fewer than 10 beds to more than 1,300, according to the WHO.

Clinical trials of potential treatments and evaluations of candidate vaccines are also underway. The WHO said the first emergency-listed molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus disease has been deployed.

The agency warned that the coming months would be critical to closing remaining gaps and slowing transmission, saying an end to fighting in affected areas was also essential for health teams to reach communities.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, was declared by the DRC authorities in May.

–IANS

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