Congolese authorities have reported a significant surge in Ebola cases, marking one of the highest daily increases since the outbreak was declared a month ago, as efforts to contain the deadly virus are hampered by weak contact tracing, insecurity, and funding shortfalls.
The Congolese Ministry of Health announced on Sunday that 72 new infections were recorded within a 24-hour period, pushing the total number of confirmed cases to 782.
This includes 181 confirmed fatalities, with 32 new deaths reported.
Concerns are mounting that the true scale of the outbreak may be considerably larger, given that the virus was only officially confirmed on 15 May, weeks after it is believed to have first emerged.
Compounding the challenge, contact tracing coverage has plummeted to 56 per cent, a sharp decrease from the previous week.
This latest resurgence of Ebola is attributed to the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
This contrasts with the Zaire virus, which was responsible for the majority of Congo’s 16 previous outbreaks. Despite the grim figures, 56 individuals have recovered, with the ministry noting a current fatality rate of 23 per cent for the outbreak.
The World Health Organization said Sunday it is intensifying testing and contact tracing and treatment.
Africa's top health body said the same day it is deploying technical expertise and supporting laboratory systems, active case finding and community engagement efforts to accelerate the response to the disease outbreak.
“We remain committed to supporting affected countries until transmission is stopped. We call on partners and donors to urgently mobilize resources to strengthen the response and save lives,” said the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya.
The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and have spread across the border to Uganda.
Nearly a million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently in the vast province with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.
Tracing is also difficult among the thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.
