Doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say that the Ebola virus is spreading at an “alarming” rate with over 1,000 suspected cases.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says the virus, which has a fatality rate of roughly 50%, has “increasing numbers of confirmed and suspected cases and deaths being reported.” As of Friday morning, there are 125 total confirmed cases and 906 suspected cases with 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected deaths.
“The outbreak is completely out of control,” said Dr. Richard Kojan, the president of the Alliance for International Medical Action, during an interview from the DRC’s Ituri Province.
Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of the main hospital in Mongbwalu, explained in another interview that the virus was spreading “at an exponential speed.”
The difficulty of containing this virus is due not only to it being the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola with no approved vaccine, but also because of disputes over local customs. Dr. Kojan said there is a “deep mistrust” among some local communities, hampering containment efforts. Residents have also become angry with health workers over the medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies, resulting in a “clash with local burial rites.” Three attacks have been launched against health centers in Ituri by residents.
Lokudi in an interview said that seven patients suspected of having Ebola escaped, creating ”chains and chains of contamination.”
On Wednesday, the Trump administration said that Americans who were exposed to Ebola will be treated in a Kenya facility instead of flying home. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”
Rubio explained that there are multiple agencies involved, tracking people to prevent Ebola cases from entering the country.
“We feel like we’ve got good efforts in place to do that and America should feel assured that the president and his administration is doing everything we can to protect them all on that front,” Rubio said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
