Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo ‘Deeply Alarming’: MSF

The rapid spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has created a “deeply alarming” situation, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.

Speaking two weeks after the outbreak was officially declared, MSF Deputy Director Dr Alan Gonzales said the number of infections recorded in such a short period was unprecedented.

“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Gonzales said in a statement on Saturday.

According to health authorities, more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases have now been reported in DR Congo, with at least 246 deaths confirmed. Neighbouring Uganda has also reported nine confirmed cases and one death linked to the outbreak.

The worst-affected area remains the eastern Congolese province of Ituri, where World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited to oversee containment and response efforts.

MSF warned that the actual scale of the outbreak may be far greater than current figures suggest, as hundreds of samples remain untested while new suspected cases continue to emerge daily.

“The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak,” Gonzales said, adding that medical teams on the ground were struggling to keep pace with the rapidly spreading epidemic.

Health officials are continuing efforts to strengthen surveillance, testing, treatment and vaccination campaigns to prevent further regional spread of the deadly virus. Agency