Congo Ebola cases exceed 5,000 amid concerns over unreported infections

The Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with an Ebola outbreak that has now seen over 5,000 confirmed cases. Official figures report 2,378 deaths, translating to a mortality rate of 47.4%. While more than a thousand patients have recovered, health authorities are concerned that the actual number of infections could be significantly higher.

The Africa Disease Control and Prevention Center (Africa CDC) highlighted that the outbreak might have started as early as February, but data collection only began in mid-May. Jean Kaseya, the service's director, expressed uncertainty about the period between February and May, stating, "We have no understanding of what happened from February to May." The current figures only reflect the period from May onwards.

Compounding the difficulty in managing the epidemic is the fact that nearly two-thirds of confirmed Ebola deaths are occurring outside of hospitals and isolation units, within villages and communities. This decentralized pattern of transmission allows the virus to spread more easily when symptomatic individuals are not isolated.

Adding to the challenge, there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment available for the Ebola strain responsible for the current outbreak in Bandiagara. Clinical trials for two antiviral treatments are underway since early July. The World Health Organization fears the outbreak could reach unprecedented levels, with current case and death numbers already several times higher than the most severe previous outbreak in West Africa when comparing the first three months of each event.