Ebola has now infected more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the outbreak spreading to a third displacement camp and claiming the life of an 18-month-old girl.
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Congo’s government said the death toll has reached 254.
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The rapid spread across three provinces in eastern Congo has raised alarm among African health experts, who warn that the outbreak could eventually exceed the epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
Infant Death Highlights Spread
According to a Congolese health report, the 18-month-old girl was tested for Ebola on June 14 in the Hungbe displacement camp and died before the positive result was returned the following day.
The report said the child had developed a fever more than a week earlier and was taken on foot to two different health centres, where she was given antibiotics before being tested.
At least 107 people came into contact with her, including family members, healthcare workers and residents of other camps, the report added.
Isolation Challenges in Camps
Dr. Emmanuel Musingusi Bulemu, a Congolese health official in the nearby Nizi zone, said there is a shortage of facilities to isolate patients.
“We need to separate these patients from the community because they risk infecting others, but where can we put them?” he said.
There have also been two confirmed cases in Kpangba, another displacement camp in the same area housing people who fled decades of conflict involving armed groups, militias and the army.
At least 30 people have died in a camp at another displacement site in Bunia.
Children Among the Cases
Preliminary data from UNICEF shows that nearly a fifth of confirmed cases are children. A smaller number of cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
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