The Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading faster than ever: The WHO

GENEVA – The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at its fastest pace, eight months after its first detection, said Monday the World Health Organization (WHO).

Each of the past two weeks has seen a record number of new cases, marking a distinct setback for efforts to address the second largest epidemic ever recorded, as militia violence and community resistance have hindered the recovery. access to affected areas.

The WHO said less than three weeks ago that the outbreak of hemorrhagic fever was largely under control and could be halted in September, pointing out that the number of weekly cases had halved compared with the previous year. beginning of the year at around 25.

But the number of cases rose to a record 57 the following week and jumped to 72 last week, said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier. Previous peaks of about 50 cases per week were documented in late January and mid-November.

More alarmingly, more than half of the Ebola deaths last week occurred outside the treatment centers, according to data from the Congo Ministry of Health, which means that there is much more chances that they transmit the virus to their surroundings.

"People are infected without access to response measures," Lindmeier told Reuters.

The current epidemic has reportedly killed 676 people and infected 406 others. 331 other patients recovered.

In the past two months, five Ebola centers have been attacked, some by armed militia. Medecins Sans Frontieres, a French medical charity, suspended operations in two of the most affected regions.

Another challenge was the distrust of first responders. A study conducted last September by the medical journal The Lancet revealed that a quarter of people sampled in two Ebola hot spots did not think the disease was real.

Lindmeier said the new approaches to community outreach showed signs of progress and some previously hostile local residents had recently agreed to grant access to health workers.

A treatment center that closed in February after being set on fire by unknown people reopened last week.

More than 11,000 people died in the Ebola outbreak in 2013-2016 in West Africa. Since then, health authorities have worked to speed up their responses and have rolled out an experimental vaccine and treatments, both of which have been found effective.