Congo Ebola outbreak still spreading largely undetected, WHO official says
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading largely undetected, with WHO officials estimating the true scale to be two to four times higher than confirmed cases. Community transmission remains intense, exacerbated by the milder symptoms of the Bundibugyo strain which leads to delayed medical treatment.
Why it matters
It underscores the ongoing public health crisis in Central Africa and the challenges of containing infectious diseases in regions with limited infrastructure.
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… new patients confirmed are coming outside of known contact lists” in the heart of the outbreak in Bunia, Ituri province, WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday.
In areas with fewer cases, like North Kivu province, almost all new cases are coming from the contact lists, he added, a sign of some progress.
TESTING POINTS TO INTENSE COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
WHO estimates based on modelling and test positivity rates suggest the outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, may be between two and four times larger than the number of confirmed cases, he said.
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