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

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the potential to surpass the severity of the 2014 West Africa epidemic, which claimed over 11,000 lives, according to Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Kaseya issued this warning during a virtual meeting of African leaders and international donors in Burundi. He highlighted a critical issue: tens of thousands of people potentially exposed to Ebola have not yet been located or contacted. "Contact tracing is a major indicator and a major issue. We are missing more than 26,000 people, and we don't know where they are, and we don't know if they are contaminating other people," Kaseya stated.

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If we don’t stop the outbreak very soon, it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC.

Adding to the concern, Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, indicated that the epidemic has not yet peaked. "We are afraid that this could last one year to end this disease," he said. The response efforts are hampered by a shortage of treatment centers and resistance from communities to implement stringent hygiene protocols. Health officials acknowledge that the full scale of the outbreak remains unknown more than a month after it was declared.

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The contact tracing is a major indicator and a major issue. We are missing more than 26,000 people, and we don’t know where they are, and we don’t know if they are contaminating other people.

A significant driver of transmission is the high infectivity of Ebola victims' bodies after death. Unsafe traditional burials, where family members handle the deceased without proper protective equipment, contribute significantly to the spread. Compounding these challenges, the continent has raised less than a fifth of the $518 million needed to bolster containment measures, according to Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who also chairs the African Union. This funding shortfall raises fears of devastating consequences if the virus is not quickly brought under control.

Currently, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for this specific strain of Ebola, and the World Health Organization estimates it could take up to nine months for a vaccine to become available. Neighboring Uganda has reported 19 cases, including two deaths, with 14 cases linked to travel from the DRC.

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We are afraid that this could last one year to end this disease.