Ebola outbreak in DR Congo could become worst in history, Africa CDC warns

The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned on Tuesday that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could become deadlier than the worst recorded outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people. Government data showed the number of confirmed cases has risen to 837, including 196 deaths.

Speaking during a virtual meeting of African leaders and international donors in Burundi, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said that if the outbreak is not stopped soon, it will surpass the previous West Africa and eastern DRC outbreaks. He told Al Jazeera that more than 26,000 people who may have been exposed to Ebola have not been traced, posing a major risk of further contamination.

A Red Cross official stated that the epidemic has not yet peaked in the country. Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, warned that the outbreak could last a year. The response has been hampered by a lack of treatment centres and community resistance to strict hygiene measures. Health officials noted that the true scale of the outbreak remains unknown more than a month after it was declared.

Unsafe traditional burials, where family members handle bodies without protective equipment, are a leading cause of transmission. So far, only about one-fifth of the $518 million needed to contain the outbreak has been raised, according to Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who also chairs the African Union.

There is no approved treatment or vaccine for this strain of Ebola. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates it could take up to nine months to develop a vaccine. Neighbouring Uganda has reported 19 cases, 14 of which were among people who had travelled from the DRC, and two deaths.