IRC warns: Ebola outbreak may become deadliest

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could become “the deadliest outbreak on record” if the international community does not respond urgently.

ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING

The World Health Organization said earlier this week that there were now more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola and 220 suspected deaths in the DRC. The epidemic has also spread to neighboring Uganda, where seven cases have been confirmed, including one death.

The epidemic is fueled by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no proven vaccine, making efforts to contain its spread particularly difficult.

In a statement, the IRC, a New York-based humanitarian aid organization founded in 1933, called for “urgent international funding and coordination” to combat the outbreak, warning that regional conflicts and aid cuts are harming attempts to bring it under control.

“All the warning lights are red,” said Bob Kitchen, vice president for emergencies at the IRC.

“Eastern DRC is facing this outbreak in a more fragile state and with less preparation than during the 2018-2020 epidemic, which killed more than 2,000 people, and with fewer resources to fight it,” he continued. “Rising conflict and cuts in international aid funding have dismantled defenses at the worst possible time. The lesson of all previous epidemics is clear: delays are paid for in human lives. HAS”

Last week, three volunteers working for the Red Cross in the DRC died following suspected cases of Ebola in Ituri province, the epicenter of the epidemic in the country.

The Red Cross said volunteers Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane contracted the Ebola virus while handling bodies of deceased people.

Ebola is a deadly disease first identified in 1976. Its symptoms can include fever, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting and, sometimes, bleeding.