Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Is Killing People Before They Ever Reach a Doctor
The WHO is struggling to contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a high percentage of patients die before reaching treatment centers. Officials are identifying gaps in patient transport and the concentration of healthcare services as primary obstacles to reducing the death toll.
Why it matters
Addressing the logistical barriers to healthcare access is essential for controlling the spread of lethal viruses in remote or underserved regions.
More than 1,900 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak - and most of them never made it to a treatment centre. Between 60 and 70 per cent of deaths are happening in communities far from care, a gap that is now central to the World Health Organization's response.
"The Bundibugyo virus continues to outpace us," said Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, speaking from Bunia, the epicentre of the outbreak in eastern DRC - referring to a particularly lethal Ebola strain for which there is still no approved vaccine.
" The Bundibugyo virus continues to outpace us ," Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said at a press conference, referring to the particularly lethal species of Ebola for which no approved vaccine currently exists.
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