Local officials in the DR Congo (DRC) reported on Tuesday that deaths from the Ebola virus disease have surpassed 2,000, with half of that number in the last 20 days.
The current Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo species, was declared by DRC health officials on 15 May and declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) two days later.
With more than 4,000 confirmed cases, it is both the second-largest and the fastest-growing on record. Only West Africa's 2014 to 2016 outbreak, which saw more than 11,000 deaths, was larger.
Just three months into this Ebola emergency, the death toll is already close to the total number of people killed in the 2018 to 2020 epidemic, which saw fewer overall cases.
Mutation fears arise
Alarmed by the virus's rapid spread, local health officials have recently raised concerns that the virus could be mutating.
In response, the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently to investigate the threat of the virus mutating.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.
Vaccine trials have been authorised in Canada and the UK, though results are likely several months away. Treatment trials are underway in the DRC's Ituri province - the epicentre of the outbreak.
Julian Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator in the DRC, said aid workers , organizations, governments, donors and local communities "must do more, and do it today, to save lives and stop Ebola."
Violence, geography imperil response
The Ebola Bundibugyo virus is proving hard to control in eastern DRC because of ongoing violence by non-State armed groups in the remote and mineral-rich region and a lack of accessible healthcare for vulnerable populations.
In addition, at least a dozen facilities treating Ebola have been attacked, largely due to fear, misinformation and deep community mistrust of outside authorities .
WHO reported that between 60 to 70 per cent of Ebola deaths occur in communities, and that many patients can't been seen by a doctor until it is too late.
Further complicating the response is the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC between the Congolese military and Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
According to the UN's humanitarian aid office ( OCHA ), at least 13 civilians were killed, several more were abducted and homes were burned in a Friday attack on the village of Banana École in Ituri, causing more than 28,000 people to flee.
News reports indicate the attacks were likely carried out by militants affiliated with the local ISIL terrorist group.
"We, along with our partners, continue to support the response, but our work is hindered by insecurity," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday.
Responding to the outbreak
Briefing journalists in New York the previous day, he said OCHA was working with partners to prepare neighbouring Rwanda for the possible spread of Ebola.
Although Rwanda has not confirmed any Ebola Bundibugyo cases, the country remains at risk due to frequent border crossings.
WHO has helped train Rwandan healthcare workers on prevention and surveillance. The UN is also working with local authorities to improve screening, traveller monitoring, personnel deployment, provision of protective equipment and community engagement.
The UN and its partners also run mobile Ebola testing labs, operate nurseries for children in Ebola-affected families, protect medical facilities, upgrade hygiene infrastructure and distribute infection prevention equipment.
"We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and facilitate safe and sustained humanitarian access to communities impacted by both violence and the outbreak," Mr. Haq said.
