With 1,155 Confirmed Ebola Cases and 304 Deaths in DRC, Contact Tracing Failures Are Leaving Hundreds of Infected Patients Untraceable
Nearly 300 Ebola Patients Are Missing in DRC as Third-Largest Outbreak Crosses 1,155 Cases. With 1,155 Confirmed Ebola Cases and 304 Deaths in DRC, Contact Tracing Failures Are Leaving Hundreds of Infected Patients Untraceable.
The Guardian reports that as of June 26, the DRC Ministry of Health has confirmed 1,155 Ebola cases including 304 deaths, with 385 people currently hospitalised while the whereabouts of nearly 300 confirmed or suspected Ebola patients remain entirely unknown to health authorities.
The Outbreak Has No Approved Vaccine or Treatment as Tens of Thousands of Contacts Go Untraced Across 22 Health Zones in Ituri Province
The International Rescue Committee warned in June that only 20% of contacts were being traced, with the virus likely spreading undetected since before March, potentially three months before the first official case was identified. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola carries a case fatality rate of 30–50% and has no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutics. The DRC government reported more than 150 patient escapes from treatment facilities since late May, with some patients fleeing in search of food.
CDC Raised Its Response to Level One on June 26 as Cases Spread to France and Germany With Africa CDC Warning This Could Surpass the 2014 West Africa Epidemic
On June 26, the CDC raised its Ebola response to a Level One activation; its highest level, as the outbreak became the second-largest ever recorded in DRC. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya warned at an AU summit that if the outbreak is not stopped soon, it could surpass the 2014–16 West Africa epidemic that killed over 11,000 people.
Nearly 300 infected people whose locations are unknown is not a footnote. It is a direct threat to the entire containment effort. Check out our previous coverage of global health news here.
