The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is showing mixed trends, with cases declining in Ituri Province but rising sharply in neighbouring North Kivu.
Cases in Ituri, which has been the epicentre of the latest outbreak, fell by 26 per cent this month, offering signs of improvement in the province.
However, North Kivu recorded a 73 per cent increase in cases over the same period, raising concerns about the spread of the disease in an area that was at the centre of the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak that killed thousands of people.
In North Kivu, the Mabalako General Hospital remains the only treatment facility for Ebola patients in the rural community it serves.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) visited the hospital last week as part of efforts to strengthen its capacity to respond to the rising number of cases.
Guy Mutombo, operations officer for North Kivu’s Ebola response, said the treatment facility was facing increasing pressure as cases continued to rise.
“We are facing some issues. Almost all our treatment centres are completely full,” Mutombo said.
He said authorities were considering establishing isolation or Ebola treatment centres in each health zone to ensure that new cases could be promptly managed.
“The proposal is for each health zone to have an isolation centre, or Ebola treatment centres, so that all incoming cases can be cared for,” he said.
The latest cases have been reported across North Kivu, including in major urban centres such as Beni as well as remote rural communities.
Health authorities are therefore working to expand treatment capacity and strengthen the response as the outbreak continues to evolve across the two neighbouring provinces.
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