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According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola virus has been gaining momentum in Congo in recent days because of "increased security problems," a week after its chief executive predicts that the epidemic could be controlled within six months.
The US health agency said in an update that recent attacks on Ebola clinics had slowed response efforts for several days. Congolese authorities have recently reported dozens of new suspected and confirmed cases. Last week, the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the epidemic was "contracting" and praised efforts to avert a more serious crisis.
Tariq Riebl of the International Rescue Committee, currently working in Congo, had a completely different perspective.
"I think all of us on the ground are aware that we are very far from being on the verge of ending this epidemic," he said. Riebl said the recent increase in the number of cases also indicates failures of ongoing surveillance.
"The increase in the number of cases also shows that we are catching up on all transmissions that we did not know before," he said.
In recent weeks, more than 40% of new cases in sensitive cities of Katwa and Butembo had no known connection with other cases, which means that doctors have lost the thread of the spread of the virus.
The WHO announced this week that many people with Ebola refused to seek treatment at clinics and died at home, further increasing the risk of transmission of the virus, as the bodies of the victims are extremely contagious.
Stakeholders in the event of an epidemic have also been targeted by rebel attacks; Doctors Without Borders was forced to close two of its Ebola clinics in eastern Congo after repeated attacks and termed the epicenter's climate as "toxic". East Congo is home to many armed groups and the Ebola outbreak has worsened the political and economic grievances of many in the region.
WHO teams often visit communities with a police escort for security reasons, ruling that some might undermine the trust of the community.
"We understand why some people might be afraid of it and we think that the use of force should be a last resort," said Riebl, adding that IRC did not use armed escorts.
He noted that the epidemic would soon reach 1,000 cases; it's already the second most deadly Ebola epidemic in history. To date, there have been 915 confirmed cases, including 610 deaths.
"It's a hard-to-reach threshold, but it should also be a time for reflection," Riebl said. "We will not be able to stop this epidemic without local support."
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