Congo Ebola Outbreak Still Spreading Largely Undetected: WHO
A senior WHO official warns that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely two to four times larger than official figures indicate due to undetected community transmission. With 80% of new cases in the Ituri province occurring outside of known contact lists, health authorities are struggling to contain the virus as families increasingly care for symptomatic relatives at home.
Why it matters
The high rate of undetected community transmission and home-based care poses a significant risk of further viral spread, complicating international efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent a larger humanitarian crisis.
Four out of every five new Ebola cases in parts of Democratic Republic of Congo have no known link to existing patients, a senior World Health Organisation official said, warning that the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official data suggest.The figures underscore the challenges facing health workers as they battle to contain the outbreak in the country's northeast, which has so far infected 1,792 people and killed 625, according to government data released on Thursday."Eighty percent of the...
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