The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at record speed, with more than 1,000 suspected cases reported in the two weeks since the emergency was declared, and doctors say the virus is spreading faster than it can be contained. The BBC reported this on May 30.
The leadership of the medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that the situation in DR Congo is “deeply concerning,” as previous Ebola outbreaks have never recorded so many cases in such a short time.
According to official data, 246 people have now died from the deadly virus. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.
At the same time, according to MSF's deputy director, “no one knows the true scale and severity” of the current epidemic – new cases of infection are reported daily, but hundreds of suspected cases remain untested.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, who traveled to the province of Ituri, where the virus spread, called on local residents to become more involved in the fight against the outbreak and warned that some traditional funeral rites, in particular touching the bodies of those who died from Ebola, could contribute to the further spread of the disease.
The publication notes that at the airport in Bunia, the capital of the province, additional sanitary measures have been introduced: upon arrival, passengers are directed to hand washing stations, and prevention tips have been posted in the premises. They are also broadcast on radio and television, writes the BBC. At the same time, journalists note that in the capital, the daily life of local residents has hardly changed: they still move around the city, trade and do their usual things.
