The Ebola epidemic in Congo is the second most important in history

According to the World Health Organization, the deadly epidemic of Ebola in Congo is the second most important, behind the devastating epidemic of West Africa that has killed thousands of people a few years ago.

Dr Peter Salama, who is in charge of emergencies at the WHO, described Thursday as a "heavy toll," saying that the Congolese Ministry of Health had announced that the number of cases had reached 426.

This includes 379 confirmed and 47 probable cases.

The attacks of rebel groups and the open hostility of some suspicious residents have posed serious problems that Ebola workers have said they have never faced before.

Many people who venture into critical virus containment activities only work with the accompaniment of UN peacekeepers, while gunshots sound daily.

Salama predicted this month that the epidemic in northeastern Congo will last at least six months before it can be controlled.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 11,000 people between 2014 and 2016.

Day after day, health organizations report a new challenge in this new epidemic, even as their work sets milestones that have given hope to the fight against one of the world's most notorious diseases. .

More than 37,000 people have been vaccinated against the Ebola virus and the Congo has launched the first ever trial to test the efficacy and safety of four experimental Ebola drugs. And yet, the risk of spreading Ebola in so-called "red" areas, areas virtually inaccessible due to the threat of rebel groups, is a major concern to contain this outbreak.

"This tragic step clearly demonstrates the complexity and severity of the epidemic.The figures are far from those of West Africa in 2014, but we find how much conflict dynamics pose a different type of threat, "said Michelle Gayer, Senior Director. health emergencies at the International Rescue Committee.

A major concern for health workers, many new cases have been disconnected from known infections as insecurity complicates efforts to track contacts of people with the disease.

The alarming number of newborns infected during this outbreak is another concern, which until now remains a mystery. The WHO said in a separate statement Thursday that up to now 36 cases of Ebola had been reported in newborns and children under 2 years old.

While the need for help to contain the epidemic grows, two of the world's most prominent medical journals have published this week statements from world health experts urging the Trump administration to to do more.

In the Journal of the American Medical Association, one group noted that the US government had ordered a few weeks ago all staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – "some of the most experienced experts in the field of to fight epidemics "- to leave the epidemic zone in Congo for security reasons.

A separate statement in the New England Journal of Medicine said: "In view of the worsening of the outbreak, we believe it is essential that these security concerns are addressed and CDC staff return to the field" .

This is the first time that this turbulent part of northeastern Congo is affected by an Ebola outbreak.

The Congolese Ministry of Health has published vivid accounts of rumored residents trying to stop safe burial practices that prevent the spread of Ebola from victims to their relatives and friends.

On Thursday, the ministry announced that a group of young people had entered a morgue, stole the body of an Ebola victim and handed it over to their family.

– AP