The UN's senior Ebola coordinator warned the DRC outbreak is growing "exponentially," with more than 2,500 deaths and half occurring in the last 20 days. Declared on 15 May as the country's 17th outbreak, it now spans an area larger than France and is outpacing response efforts. Officials say rapidly increasing staffing and resources in remote eastern and northern regions could slow transmission; failure to act risks more deaths and cross-border spread.
UN Warns DRC Ebola Outbreak Is Growing "Exponentially" as Death Toll Tops 2,500
Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo 'growing exponentially,' UN warns
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding "exponentially," United Nations officials warn, after more than 2,500 deaths were reported — roughly half of them in the past 20 days.
It is the largest Ebola outbreak in DRC history and, according to Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator, it is spreading faster and across a wider area than any Ebola event on record.
Scope and context: Declared on 15 May as the DRC's 17th outbreak, the virus is believed to have been circulating for several weeks before the declaration. The outbreak now covers an area larger than France and has struck provinces in the north and east where the state presence is weak, health infrastructure is limited and armed groups operate.
"The epidemic is spreading widely. It's now covering an area that is bigger than France.... It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response," said Harneis, speaking from Bunia, at the epicentre of the outbreak.
Urgent response needed: Harneis stressed that a rapid scale-up of staff and resources into remote eastern and northern areas is essential. "If we provide more staffing, if we get more resources into remote areas across... the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, within months we can slow the transmission and move to stopping it," he said. Without that surge in support, the epidemic could become more deadly and risks spreading into neighbouring countries.
What to watch next: The effectiveness of vaccination, contact tracing, security access to affected communities, and the international community's ability to deploy medical teams and logistics will determine whether transmission can be curtailed in the coming months.
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