Ebola cases in eastern Congo climb to 782 and deaths reach 181
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has risen to 782, including 181 deaths, the Congolese Ministry of Health said Sunday.
The true number is believed to be higher. The outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it is thought to have begun, and contact tracing coverage has fallen sharply to 56%.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike the Zaire virus responsible for most of Congo’s previous 16 Ebola outbreaks.
Fifty-six people have recovered, and the fatality rate stands at 23%, the ministry said.
More than 90% of cases are in Congo’s eastern Ituri province. Cases have also been reported in North Kivu and South Kivu and have spread into Uganda.
Nearly one million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, complicating contact tracing as people flee attacks or move frequently through a vast region of dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.
Tracing is also difficult among thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.
Attacks on health workers by angry residents, skepticism among some locals and ongoing armed conflict in outbreak hot spots continue to hinder efforts to contain the virus.
Last month, U.S. officials said Americans exposed to Ebola abroad would be sent to a new facility in Kenya rather than flown home. The planned center at Laikipia Air Base would have 50 quarantine beds, but the proposal sparked protests and was later halted by the courts.
