Ebola outbreak in Congo continues to worsen

No time? blue News summarizes for you

• The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading across the country.
• The number of cases rose to 782 within 24 hours, and the confirmed death toll now stands at 181.
• Since the latest official figures are from June 13, the actual number is likely even higher by now.

Summary created with

Within 24 hours, the number of cases rose by 72 to a total of 782, reported the Ministry of Information of Africa’s second-largest country. The number of confirmed deaths rose by 32 to 181 during the same period. Since the most recent official figures are from June 13, the actual number is likely even higher by now. According to the data, the mortality rate stands at 23.1 percent.

According to the ministry, 359 patients are currently being treated in hospitals and isolation wards. Contact tracing remains a challenge. At 56.5 percent, the contact tracing rate is well below the target. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), to stop the spread of the disease, it is necessary to identify and monitor 90 percent of all people who have been in contact with an infected person.

Treatment centers overwhelmed

The aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that one month after the outbreak was reported in the Congolese province of Ituri, gaps in surveillance and contact tracing were undermining efforts to contain the highly dangerous disease.

“No one knows the true extent or the exact locations of the spread,” said Kate White, MSF’s emergency medical coordinator in the Congo. “However, we know that most treatment centers in Ituri province are overwhelmed; many of our patients only reach us at an advanced stage of the disease, and most were neither identified as contacts nor monitored before receiving treatment.”

Containment Difficult Without Testing

In addition, many affected communities lack adequate access to testing, and the transmission of lab results still takes too long. “Without faster and more widespread testing, we will struggle to detect cases early enough to contain the outbreak,” White emphasized.

The highly contagious Ebola virus can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. Infection leads to fever and muscle pain; in severe cases, it causes internal and external bleeding and organ failure. The current outbreak was likely not detected until weeks after it began. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo variant, for which medical professionals did not initially test.