The Ebola outbreak in Congo could potentially be the worst recorded outbreak of the disease, according to the head of Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Speaking to the African heads of state in Burundi, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that the outbreak could exceed the recorded number of cases from the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as the Congo outbreak in 2018.
While the 2018 outbreak was less deadly, the 2014 to 2016 outbreak took the lives of more than 11,000 people.
As of now, over 830 cases of the Bundibugyo strain, a rare type of the disease, have been confirmed in Congo. About 196 patients had fatal outcomes after contracting Ebola. Obtained through transmissions of bodily fluids, the disease is still contagious even after death.
The current outbreak is mainly located across three provinces in Congo, but officials predict it has not yet reached its peak. As of now, Red Cross officials estimate it will take at least a year to end the disease.
The response to the growing outbreak has already been marred by several limitations. Along with a lack of treatment centers and hygiene measures, the full extent of infections is very difficult for health officials to track. Per Kaseya, just 12% of the population has been traced for Ebola infections, creating issues in trying to gauge how widespread the outbreak is. Approximately 3,000 people possibly exposed to Ebola have still not been tracked down.
A leading factor in the outbreak has been a lack of proper protective equipment as families seek to handle bodies that are still infected after death.
To address the outbreak, African officials are appealing to other nations for financial assistance with a $518 million plan to tackle the spread of Ebola within the next six months. The U.S., China, Germany, South Africa and France are amongst those that have affirmed that they will provide support.
As of now, the resources provided to Congo are no more than $100 million.
“If we don’t have it in the next four weeks, we will not ask again for $500 million, we’ll be asking about $1.5 billion,” said Kaseya per CNN. “If we delay that, it will be $7.5 billion.”
As the country continues to struggle with the epidemic, a number of Ebola treatment facilities have been targeted and attacked.
In May, a crowd of people descended upon an Ebola treatment facility in a hospital compound to obtain the bodies of two loved ones who had passed away at the center. Police were called to the scene, where they fired shots in the air.
Days before, crowds set fire to multiple isolation tents in Rwampara after they were prevented from taking the body of a man for burial. As of now, Red Cross volunteers are the only people allowed to oversee burials as they are the only ones who can safely bury them without spreading the disease.
Earlier this week, another center was attacked as a group of men with knives stormed Wanamahika Hospital to take a six-year-old Ebola patient away. Authorities in eastern Congo are still searching for the child and her mother. Local health official Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston had previously urged them to quarantine in the health center to prevent the further spread of Ebola to their relatives and the worsening of their current conditions.
Several aid agencies report that the pushback to the strict burial measures is related to medical mistrust, rumors and fear as well.
“Some people here believe that Ebola is a business,” said resident Gloire Idriss via Al Jazeera. “When healthcare providers refuse to hand over the bodies of those who have died from Ebola, people think they might be trafficking their organs.”
As the Red Cross volunteers are tasked with burying victims of Ebola, funeral traditions such as gathering at the home of the deceased and giving them a final touch cannot be honored.
With cases continuing to soar, however, authorities are urging residents to distance themselves from sick individuals and to adhere to what response teams are saying.
Other steps to protect against Ebola include avoiding self-medication and thoroughly cooking food.
As of now, there are no vaccines that work against the rare strain in Congo.
