Ebola outbreak in DRC becomes country’s largest recorded outbreak
Credit: The Guardian
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the country’s largest recorded outbreak, with health and humanitarian agencies facing challenges linked to insecurity, displacement and the risk of cross-border transmission.
According to minutes from a regional emergency coordination meeting held Aug. 6, the DRC had recorded 3,973 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,801 deaths. The outbreak had spread across 51 health zones in five provinces, with Ituri province remaining the epicenter.
No new cases had recently been reported in Tshopo and South Kivu, but the World Health Organization warned that ongoing transmission and instability in the region were increasing the risk of the virus spreading internationally.
The WHO and its partners are shifting toward a community-centered response while humanitarian logistics operations are being expanded to deliver medical supplies to affected areas.
The Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster, co-led by the World Food Programme, is establishing a forward logistics base in Lita in coordination with the DRC Ministry of Health. The facility is the first of six planned priority hubs intended to improve last-mile delivery of humanitarian supplies.
International teams have so far transported about 743 metric tons of humanitarian cargo into eastern DRC, much of it personal protective equipment and medical supplies.
Operations are being coordinated from a staging area in Entebbe, Uganda, which has received 34 international flights carrying about 956 metric tons of cargo. C-130 military transport aircraft and overland trucking routes have been used to move supplies across borders and into field locations, including Bunia.
Humanitarian agencies, however, continue to face delays at international borders. The humanitarian logistics group IMPACCT has appealed to the United Nations Resident Coordinator to seek emergency customs measures from the Ugandan government to speed the movement of relief supplies.
The group has proposed measures similar to those adopted during the 2020 Ebola outbreak, when emergency procedures were used to reduce customs-related delays.
Aid agencies have also reported delays inside the DRC linked to inspections by the Office Congolais de Contrôle. Humanitarian officials said specialized relief kits were being opened during inspections and that results were sometimes delayed even after required payments had been made.
The outbreak has prompted neighboring countries to strengthen preparedness measures.
In South Sudan, emergency preparedness activities are being intensified in Western Equatoria and Central Equatoria states. Teams are establishing remote isolation facilities and transporting laboratory samples from high-risk border areas, including Yei, Yambio and Nimule. Officials have warned, however, that local stocks of personal protective equipment remain limited.
In Rwanda, the World Food Programme is working with national biomedical agencies to strengthen logistics preparedness, including prepositioning storage units in Kigali and preparing simulation exercises.
Burundi has also begun prepositioning fuel tanks, tents and thermometers as part of efforts to prepare for a possible cross-border spread of the virus.
The international response depends on a wider supply chain that includes contributions from U.S.-based nonprofit Project C.U.R.E., which sends surplus medical equipment from American hospitals to health facilities in the DRC.
Humanitarian teams are also working to expand solar-powered telecommunications networks and radio repeaters in remote areas such as Mongbwalu and Mambasa. The systems are intended to maintain communications for health workers, humanitarian personnel and affected communities as response operations continue.
