Ebola outbreak spiraling out of control – death toll reported to be rising

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola virus situation is rapidly spiraling out of control. According to official data, 5,290 people have been infected and 2,516 have died, but medical workers are only able to detect 30–40% of actual cases. Half of the fatalities have been recorded in the last 20 days. The spread of the virus has taken on a geometric progression, and contact tracing effectiveness is extremely low.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola virus outbreak is spiraling out of control. According to confirmed data, 5,290 people have been infected, of whom 2,516 have died. However, experts warn that the true scale of the epidemic far exceeds official statistics: medical workers are only able to detect 30 to 40 percent of actual cases. The severity of the crisis is underscored by a sharp rise in mortality in the north and east of the country—half of all fatalities have been recorded in just the last 20 days, and the spread of the virus has taken on a geometric progression. The situation is exacerbated by extremely low effectiveness of contact tracing: specialists detect fewer than one in ten cases among people whose contacts were previously known. According to experts, the outbreak may have begun as early as February in the mining town of Mongbwalu, but authorities officially declared it only in mid-May. The fight against the disease is hampered by armed conflicts, sanitation problems, and destroyed infrastructure. Humanitarian workers face widespread disinformation and fear among locals of hospitals. In the near future, the country is expected to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine from UN reserves. If the current trend continues, the outbreak could surpass the devastating 2014–2016 epidemic.