One in four Ebola cases not detected in Congo – WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) – It's estimated that about a quarter of Ebola infections in eastern Congo are disappearing or are detected too late, said Thursday an expert from the World Health Organization (WHO ).

However, the WHO, in a weekly update published later, said there were early signs of a loosening of the intensity of the spread of the virus after weeks of insecurity that limited access to communities and interrupted vaccination.

Some 2,025 cases and 1,357 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the epidemic in August in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the Program. WHO for health emergencies.

This is the second most serious virus outbreak ever recorded.

Some 88 infections were detected in each of the last two weeks, while they had peaked at 126 per week in April. The WHO teams are checking 15,000 suspected contacts each day for symptoms, he added.

"We think that, let's say it very carefully, we probably detect more than 75% of the cases – we may miss up to a quarter of the cases," Ryan said at a press briefing at Geneva.

"We need to detect cases earlier, have a more comprehensive identification of contacts," he said.

About 90% of those potentially exposed to the virus have agreed to be vaccinated, which has been shown to be effective, he said. "It's not they who matter now, it's the 10% who do not, because all our cases come from this group."

More than 130,000 people have been vaccinated to date, according to Congolese figures.

The epidemic is "not out of control, but it's certainly not under control," he said.

It spread rapidly in the rural area of ​​Mabalako and at a lower rate in the town of Butembo.

One-third of the cases identified are people who have died without being admitted to Ebola treatment centers, the WHO report said.

Ryan added that the risks for aid workers had recently decreased, but reported a deadly attack on civilians earlier this week.

A local official said 13 civilians had been killed on Monday as part of an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces, a group allegedly linked to the Islamic State.

Greater political commitment is needed to combat the Ebola outbreak, Ryan said. "We need the government to communicate with the opposition, we need an" all party "approach (…), we need a single voice from Congolese leaders in the face of this epidemic."