The latest update from Congo's Ministry of Health shows that as of Monday, 2473 cases have been recorded in the latest outbreak, and 999 people have died. At least 737 patients are currently in isolation and hospitals, it said on Wednesday.
The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments.
It has also killed more people at a quicker rate than any outbreak on record, including the 2013-2016 outbreak that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That outbreak took about eight months from the first case to reach 1000 deaths.
Conflict and community resistance are complicating the response
The World Health Organization has said that the true scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases being documented, and there are still localities in the epicentre that are hard to reach mainly due to rebel conflict.
Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.
Officials have warned that 80 per cent of new cases have emerged through unknown chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track it even as they step up their response in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, as well as in four other provinces where cases have been recorded.
Community resistance to Ebola teams, particularly those carrying out safe burials, has also hampered the response. Robert Ndjalonga, head of civil protection in Ituri province, said some communities have refused to allow burial teams to operate as they seek traditional burials, increasing the risk of further transmission.
"On several occasions, burial teams have had to be escorted by security forces to ensure that safe and dignified burials could be carried out without incident," Ndjalonga said.
Shortages of burial supplies have delayed responses to reported deaths, while some affected health zones still lack operational burial teams, Ndjalonga said.
Attacks on health facilities and response teams have also forced front-line workers and aid groups out of some areas. Some health workers have gone on strike, complaining they haven't been paid since the outbreak started.
