Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Surpasses 300 Deaths as Fear, Conflict and Shortages Hamper Containment Efforts

(Health officials. Photo Credit: The Guardian)

More than 300 people have died from the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), just over a month after it was first reported, according to health officials on Friday.

The fatal viral illness can result in severe bleeding and organ failure and is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids.

From 1,115 confirmed illnesses since the outbreak was discovered on May 15, 304 persons in the DRC have now died from the virus, resulting in a fatality rate of 26.3 percent, according to the National Public Health Institute (INSP).

The African Union's health ministry verified 202 deaths from 875 confirmed cases on June 18. This represents a 23 percent mortality rate.

The Red Cross issued a warning last week that it may take up to a year to contain the hemorrhagic fever outbreak, which has not yet reached its peak.

Early in June, the DRC authorities declared that a number of Ebola patients had been treated and cured, which is a rare bit of good news.

Responders to the epidemic—the 17th to strike the large, fragile nation in central Africa face enormous obstacles.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that caused the most recent outbreak in the DRC, one of the world's poorest nations, has no licensed vaccines or treatments.

The solution is made more difficult by the fact that the three affected provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu have been beset by conflict and widespread displacement for thirty years.

The outbreak has reached Uganda, a neighbor, where containment efforts have proven successful.

Since May 15, 20 confirmed cases have been reported nationwide, including two fatalities, according to Kampala. The majority of infected individuals are Congolese nationals who have visited Uganda.

A Congolese physician employed by the international medical aid organization ALIMA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was the first verified case of Ebola outside of Africa, according to a French report on Wednesday.

There is little chance that the virus will spread throughout Europe, according to the World Health Organization, and travel restrictions are not necessary.

Nevertheless, all flights to Kinshasa have been suspended for a few days by Air France, the airline that carried the doctor back to France.

Ituri has been the site of the great majority of cases in the DRC.

Numerous opposing armed groups are causing unrest in the mineral-rich area, and frequent population shifts encourage the disease's development.

The provincial capital, Bunia, has recorded over 91% of all illnesses and over 82% of all fatalities.

In Ituri, efforts to contain the virus have intensified.

However, essential supplies and equipment like chlorine and personal protective equipment are still lacking in healthcare facilities, which frequently have inadequate funding.

According to the nation's public health office, several clinics established by the WHO and assistance organizations are nearly full.

It further stated that at least 78 healthcare professionals had contracted the illness, and 18 of them had passed away.

Additionally, some local people have a great deal of mistrust toward medical and aid workers.

Unaware that touching the deceased's body increases the risk of infection, some families have insisted that hospitals turn over the bodies.

According to officials, the number of cases is also being underestimated since some families are reluctant to permit post-mortem exams of the victims.