Ebola Spreads Rapidly in Democratic Republic of Congo, WHO Warns Neighboring Countries

JAKARTA - The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC is moving faster than the handling efforts. The World Health Organization or WHO warns neighboring countries to be ready immediately.

Quoted from The Guardian, Tuesday, May 26, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the handling operation was being enlarged. However, the rate of the outbreak is still faster.

"We are immediately scaling up operations, but right now the epidemic is moving faster than we are," Tedros said.

In an online meeting of the African Union, Tedros said there were 220 suspected deaths in the latest outbreak. He will also depart for the DRC with Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO's Executive Director of the Health Emergency Program.

The handling of the outbreak is getting more difficult because health facilities are actually attacked by residents. In Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital was attacked on Saturday and Sunday.

The hospital's medical director, Dr. Richard Lokodu, told Reuters that 18 Ebola patients fled after an isolation tent belonging to Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, was set on fire by unknown people.

On Sunday, the hospital was attacked four more times. The attacks were carried out by young people who were moved by relatives of a religious leader who died of Ebola. Seven other patients fled. The police and the Congolese army then intervened.

A critically ill Ebola suspect died while trying to escape from his bed when the second attack occurred.

According to Lokodu, the attackers demanded that the body of the Ebola victim be handed over for burial by the family.

The problem of burial is indeed a vulnerable point. The body of an Ebola victim can still be very contagious. Therefore, funerals are usually handled by health authorities. However, some families still want to carry out traditional funerals, including bathing and touching the body.

In previous outbreaks, such practices have been shown to have contributed to the spread of Ebola.

A similar incident occurred in Rwampara, near Bunia. The crowd burned the treatment center after the government refused to hand over the bodies of the victims who wanted to bury them themselves.

Earlier this month, the WHO designated the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. This status is usually given when outbreaks are at risk of spreading across countries and require global coordination.

At that time, more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported in the DRC. Two deaths were also recorded in Uganda.

On Monday, Uganda announced two new cases. The total number of confirmed cases in the country is seven. The two latest patients are health workers at a private health facility in Kampala.

The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine.

The hot spots of the outbreak are in Rwampara, Mongbwalu, Nyankunde, and Bunia in Ituri Province. These areas are centers of trade and migration, as well as gold-rich areas.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Ituri and North Kivu are still prone to conflict. In Ituri, the conflict of militias associated with the Hema and Lendu groups has killed more than 50,000 people since 1999.

Cases have also been reported in Butembo and Goma in North Kivu province, as well as Bukavu in South Kivu.

Tedros said the handling of the outbreak was hampered by insecurity in Ituri and North Kivu, as well as the lack of an approved vaccine.