The International Red Cross has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has not yet reached its peak and could continue for another year.
Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters via videolink from eastern DRC that the worst phase of the outbreak may still lie ahead. He said it remains extremely difficult to determine the full extent of the virus’s spread.
The rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has killed 192 people in the DRC so far. Government data indicates that the disease is spreading rapidly across three provinces.
Michon said Red Cross and Red Crescent teams engaged in community awareness campaigns and the safe burial of Ebola victims have recently faced verbal abuse, threats and attacks.
He stressed that building trust within communities takes time but is essential to controlling the outbreak and saving lives.
Meanwhile, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the true scale of the outbreak remains unclear and warned that inadequate testing continues to be one of the biggest weaknesses in the response efforts.
A senior Congolese public health official, speaking anonymously, said the challenge extends beyond testing. According to the official, data collected by laboratories, hospitals, treatment centres and epidemiological surveillance teams is difficult to reconcile, leading to inaccuracies in reporting.
Some cases may be counted more than once when patients move between health zones and undergo multiple tests, while others die in communities without ever being identified by health authorities.
Officials believe the virus may have begun circulating in the country as early as February.
