UN: Congo Ebola Deaths Surpass 3,500 Amid Funding Shortfall

The United Nations says the Ebola outbreak continues to spread across the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with more than 3,500 deaths reported so far.

UN Special Ebola Coordinator Julien Harneis said in a statement on Tuesday that the deadly outbreak continues to expand across the vast country, despite some success in containing it in certain areas. He called for greater international support to assist responders working on the ground. "If we don't have the resources, the epidemic will come back... it remains a deadly and massive epidemic," he said.

According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), as of September 12, there have been 7,200 reported cases of Ebola and close to 3,500 deaths across 62 health zones. Dr Olivier le Polain, WHO's Unit Head for Epidemiology and Analytics for Response, said the virus is now present in seven provinces "covering a very vast geographic area." He noted that although the response has been unprecedented in scale, the epidemic continues to expand.

Insecurity, Poor Infrastructure Complicate Response Efforts

Since the emergency was declared in mid-May, UN agencies and partners have been working alongside national authorities to tackle the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak. However, the response faces immense challenges in a resource-rich region that has endured decades of violent insecurity and development setbacks.

"[In] many areas, the roads are massive potholes – not even potholes – trucks disappear into the mud; [in] many areas, the access, even by small plane, is complicated. And then there's violence against the response," Harneis said. "We have cases in Bunia, in Ituri and in the far other end of the country in Sud-Ubangi, that is like a distance from Geneva to Dublin."

The veteran aid coordinator warned that the $1.3 billion humanitarian response plan is only 49 per cent funded, even as the outbreak continues to worsen conditions for ordinary Congolese — deepening hunger levels, reducing attendance at health centres, driving up maternal mortality, and disrupting treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Additional $1bn Needed to Sustain Response

"We've done a lot of positive work through the scaling up bed capacity, but unless we get more specialized medical care, we will eventually come to a plateau," Harneis said, stressing the urgent need for countries to deploy international emergency medical teams. "If you don't provide the care, if you don't finance the care, if you don't provide the technical resources, then Ebola is a live enemy and will come back at us," he warned, adding that an additional $1 billion will be required to sustain the response beyond its first six months.

"There's been some indication from Member States that they might be prepared to send those teams, but we need a far greater support and dedication of those resources," he said.

Outbreak Expected to Take "Many Months" to Control

WHO's le Polain insisted that the outbreak, unfolding in areas of significant humanitarian need, will take "many, many months to get this outbreak under control fully." The epidemiologist noted that while infections are beginning to decline in some areas, they are rising "exponentially" in others — including North Kivu, where weekly case numbers have doubled from approximately 100 to 200.

"We're worried about particularly Butembo and Katwa," a major axis in the northern part of North Kivu, he explained.