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Ebola Outbreak in Congo Far From Controlled After 100 Days
🇩🇪 Germany /Health & Science

Ebola Outbreak in Congo Far From Controlled After 100 Days

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000 cases and 2,500 deaths in approximately 100 days.
  • The World Health Organization states the epidemic is far from controlled and is spreading faster than previous outbreaks, with a significant number of unreported cases.
  • Experts believe the outbreak was noticed late and may have been circulating since the beginning of the year, complicated by early symptoms mimicking common illnesses.

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to rage, with over 5,000 cases and more than 2,500 deaths recorded in roughly 100 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the epidemic is "far from controlled" and is spreading with unprecedented speed. This outbreak is now the second-largest ever recorded, with confirmed cases in its 13th week being ten times higher than in the same period of the 2014-2015 West Africa outbreak, which ultimately claimed over 11,000 lives.

The epidemic is still far from being under control. This is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, and it is spreading faster than any previous one.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describing the severity and spread of the epidemic.

Tropical medicine specialist Maximilian Gertler, who has experience with Doctors Without Borders in both West Africa and Congo, highlighted the significant number of unreported cases. "One must assume that many cases and deaths are not registered at all," he stated. Gertler noted that over 2,000 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak became public, a stark contrast to the approximately 300 deaths during the same period in the West African epidemic. He emphasized that the epidemic will persist until every transmission chain is identified and broken.

One must assume that many cases and deaths are not registered at all.

— Maximilian GertlerTropical medicine specialist Maximilian Gertler on the significant number of unreported cases.

Ebola fever is a deadly viral disease transmitted through bodily fluids, causing severe fever, diarrhea, and bleeding. The current outbreak in Congo was officially announced in mid-May, but experts believe it has been circulating since at least the start of the year. Gertler explained that the early symptoms of Ebola, fever, general malaise, and headaches, are easily mistaken for common illnesses like the flu or malaria. This diagnostic challenge, coupled with fear preventing people from seeking medical help and limited access to laboratory diagnostics, makes early detection and containment extremely difficult.

We are seeing well over 2,000 deaths since the outbreak became known.

— Maximilian GertlerMaximilian Gertler comparing the death toll to previous outbreaks.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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