More than 2,500 individuals have lost their lives in the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a situation that is rapidly escalating in an area larger than France, according to Julien Harneis, the senior United Nations Ebola coordinator. Harneis, speaking from Bunia in northeastern Congo via video call, emphasized the urgent need for additional assistance as the current funding is expected to be depleted in the coming weeks.
Local health workers are facing hostility from community members who are both fearful and outraged by the outbreak, leading to health workers contracting the disease and succumbing to it, Harneis revealed.
Meanwhile, a batch of a vaccine for a previous strain of Ebola has been dispatched to the D.R.C., with the country recently requesting these doses from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine reserve. The vaccine, known as Ervebo, is designed to prevent illness caused by the Zaire Ebola virus strain, and a portion of the allocated 70,000 shots will be utilized in a late-stage trial to evaluate its effectiveness against the current Bundibugyo virus strain.
The World Health Organization highlighted the necessity of conducting clinical trials to establish whether Ervebo offers protection against the Bundibugyo virus in humans.
In late July, the D.R.C. registered its most extensive Ebola outbreak in history in terms of case numbers, surpassing the previous peak between 2018 and 2020. The current epidemic is attributed to the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
Harneis warned of the exponential growth of the Ebola outbreak, stressing that it is outpacing the response efforts and expanding rapidly in an area scarred by three decades of conflict, thereby creating significant humanitarian needs.
Approximately 160 healthcare workers have been infected with Ebola, with 43 fatalities among them, Harneis stated. He also highlighted the challenges faced by healthcare providers, including attacks on workers, ambulances being vandalized, and healthcare facilities being targeted, all stemming from fear and anger within the community.
Further complicating the situation are conspiracy theories, anger over burial restrictions, and a surge in violent incidents against health workers, including over 260 attacks in the past six months resulting in the deaths of eight health workers.
Harneis also mentioned that aid cuts have diminished the capabilities of humanitarian organizations, while the disruption of banking services due to the halting of commercial flights has hindered the payment process for the thousands of individuals involved in the Ebola response efforts.