Ebola: Over 10,000 Cases Confirmed In DR Congo, NRC Seeks Urgent Action

More than 10,000 people have tested positive for Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), with nearly half of those infected dying from the disease, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said.

The humanitarian organisation called for an urgent scale-up of response efforts to contain the outbreak, warning that the spread of the virus had become a growing concern following reports of confirmed cases in Kenya and Nigeria.

In a statement on Wednesday, the NRC said the DR Congo had recorded more than 10,000 cases in the ongoing Bundibugyo virus outbreak.

It warned that the outbreak could continue to spread faster than response efforts could keep pace unless the government adopted measures to anticipate the virus and bring it under control.

The resurgence has severely affected communities across the country, including Ituri, a region already facing prolonged conflict and mass displacement.

Speaking on the impact of the outbreak, the NRC’s emergency team leader, Silvia Beccacece, said the scale of the crisis had become increasingly evident during her visits to affected communities.

“As I move around Ituri, I’m seeing just how hard the disease is hitting communities, and I am struck by how much more needs to be done to bring this outbreak under control,” she said in a statement.

According to the council, the outbreak has worsened conditions for residents of Ituri, many of whom have endured years of violence, displacement and limited access to essential services.

Beccacece said the growing number of infections showed that the current government response was failing to get ahead of the outbreak.

“Ten thousand confirmed cases must be a wake-up call that this response is not getting ahead of the outbreak, and is not supporting communities with what they need to bring transmission under control,” she said.

She urged leaders to respond to the warning signs and take the necessary steps to contain the disease.