The DRC’s public health institute reported Monday that the outbreak had reached 8,067 cases, with 3,901 deaths. The fatality rate stands at 48.4 percent, according to government data, Al Jazeera reported.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and has since spread across several health zones in the country. Africa’s health agency, Africa CDC, said the number of new cases had begun to level off after a rapid increase but warned that the outbreak remained “not under control.”
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Community mistrust and anger over government health measures have emerged as major obstacles to the response.
In Butembo, a hotspot in North Kivu province, Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the ruling UDPS party’s federal executive committee in the city, was attacked after appearing on a radio programme to discuss Ebola prevention measures, according to Congolese health authorities.
A UDPS representative said Monday that Karondwa was beaten to death by residents on Sunday.
Health officials have also reported shortages and limited treatment capacity in some affected areas. Authorities said health centres in Ituri province had a low capacity to treat Ebola patients, while Tshopo province was facing a severe shortage of experimental vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
The Bundibugyo strain presents an additional challenge because there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically targeting it. Several vaccines and treatments are being tested as health agencies seek to expand options for controlling the outbreak.
The current epidemic is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak. Experts have pointed to weak healthcare infrastructure, the remoteness of affected communities and ongoing conflict near the country’s borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda as factors complicating efforts to identify and treat cases.
The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak remains “far from over” and could surpass the scale of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
International efforts to support the response are continuing. The United States announced last week that it would provide an additional $267 million for Ebola-related efforts. Washington is also seeking contributions from other countries toward a $2 billion funding target, with much of the assistance expected to support operations in the DRC.
Despite the recent slowdown in new cases, health authorities continue to face challenges including shortages of medical supplies, limited treatment capacity and resistance to prevention measures as they work to bring the outbreak under control.
