The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is expanding faster than response teams can contain it, according to UN officials who warn that current emergency funding may last only a few more weeks.
Health authorities reported 5,290 infections and 2,516 deaths since the outbreak was declared on 15 May. The recorded fatality rate stands at 47.6 per cent, while 1,152 people have recovered and nearly 840 remain in isolation or hospital care.
Outbreak spans six eastern provinces
The epidemic now affects an area larger than France across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo and Bas-Uélé. Half of the deaths occurred in the most recent 20 days, a sign of the rapid acceleration described by UN responders.
Frontline staff are paying a heavy price. Of 160 healthcare workers infected, 43 have died. Teams also face attacks on ambulances and medical facilities, poor roads, limited public services and a banking system that makes it difficult to pay workers in affected areas.
The United States has provided $80 million to the Congolese government for measures including treatment capacity and safe burials. Even so, UN officials say wider cuts over the past two years have reduced humanitarian operating capacity by more than 30 per cent.
The World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF, the UN migration agency and Médecins Sans Frontières are working with national authorities. Responders say immediate international financing is essential because delayed action raises both the human cost and the expense of bringing the outbreak under control.