DR Congo Ebola outbreak could become worst in history as thousands not being traced
The head of Africa's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention warned on June 16 that tens of thousands of contacts of Ebola patients in DR Congo are not being traced, and the outbreak could surpass the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed over 11,000 people.
Healthcare workers and officials are continuing to sound the alarm over the surging Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On June 16, the head of Africa's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention stated that tens of thousands of people who have been in contact with ill patients are currently not being traced. He warned that this outbreak could become the worst in history, surpassing the 2014-2016 outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone that killed over 11,000 people.
The inability to trace contacts severely hampers efforts to contain the highly contagious virus. Without proper monitoring, the disease could spread further, potentially leading to a larger humanitarian catastrophe. Experts stress the need for urgent measures to boost contact tracing capacity and prevent the epidemic from spiraling out of control.
This is the second major Ebola outbreak in the country since 2018, and it has already caused hundreds of infections. The international community is being called upon to provide additional support, including resources and specialists, to assist local authorities in managing the crisis.
It remains unclear whether this outbreak will indeed surpass the previous epidemic, but the warnings indicate that without immediate and coordinated action, the consequences could be devastating.
