WHO Warns Republic Of Congo Ebola Cases Top 800
In the republic of congo, confirmed Ebola cases have climbed to over 800 one month after the outbreak was declared. The World Health Organization said the virus is still spreading geographically, and Congolese health workers have reached only a little over half of the known contacts.
That leaves about 3,000 possible contacts unaccounted for, a gap that health workers are trying to close while deaths continue to be reported by communities in Congo. Dr. Marie-Roseline Belizaire, the WHO incident manager, said, "One month after the outbreak has been declared, I'm still feeling concerned" and that community deaths mean "that means we are missing cases".
WHO cases rise across Congo
The total number of confirmed Ebola cases rose by about 300 since last week, reaching over 800 between Monday and Tuesday. The WHO said intense community transmission continues in the Central African region, and it warned that the outbreak is still increasing in its geographic spread in Congo.
Belizaire's warning points to the main operational problem now: the outbreak is not only growing in case count, it is also leaving a large share of contacts outside follow-up. That creates a larger field of possible undetected infections for health teams trying to trace chains of transmission.
Ituri province and body retrieval
In Ituri province, Congolese security forces fired warning shots to break up a crowd trying to take the body of an Ebola victim home. Health workers were trying to remove the body for the community's safety. The episode showed how burial practices and public fear can push against the response even as teams work to limit exposure.
Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, Uganda's National Director of Public Health, said Uganda's cases have all been imported from Congo. He said, "Our problem is how is it being managed across the border with the Congo" and, "We know all our cases have been imported from there."
Uganda border pressure
Uganda shares a nearly 500-mile border with Congo, and its border is officially closed amid the outbreak, but people continue to move freely across it. Kyabayinze said, "We are the same people. The culture and language in Uganda and the people across the Congo are the same" and, "Putting a tight ribbon, or a no-stop movement on the porous borders is almost impossible, it's like stopping wind from blowing".
As of June 10, the WHO said at least 19 Ebola cases had been confirmed in Uganda and two deaths had occurred there. No new Ebola cases had been reported in Uganda in 11 days, but the cross-border movement Kyabayinze described keeps the response tied to what happens next in Congo's contact tracing and case finding.
