Although over 60,000 people have been vaccinated and 4,000 kept under surveillance, the DRC’s ongoing Ebola outbreak has spread southwards into an area suffering from frequent fighting between various militias and the military. The outbreak recently became the country’s worst ever, with at least 439 dead and 713 infected. Successfully ending the outbreak will require tracking those exposed to the disease and preventing them from spreading it further. These efforts, however, are rendered extremely difficult in the context of North Kivu, where ongoing militia activity reduces accessibility and public trust. According to the WHO, in the area most impacted during the beginning of the outbreak, the majority of people falling ill were not on the lists of those thought to have seen exposure to the disease, a problem driven by “pockets of community mistrust.” Summing up the mixed progress, a WHO spokeswoman shared that “it is very premature to shout victory, it’s true we had some success in Beni because all the steps we’ve taken have had an impact, but unfortunately we see cases turning up in other areas.”
Source: Ebola spreads to high-risk area of Congo: WHO | Reuters
