"Lives Stolen in an Instant"... Fear Grips as Ebola Cases Approach 10,000

Jawadi lives in Beni, a small town in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Jawadi's older sister and father contracted Ebola last month and died at home without proper treatment or even a single adequate medical consultation.

[Jawadi / Resident of the Democratic Republic of Congo: My father died right away. Ebola took his life in an instant. I couldn't believe it.]

As of October 25, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo exceeded 9,870, with nearly half of them—about 4,800 people—losing their lives.

The death toll is double the level recorded during the 2018–2020 outbreak, with a fatality rate reaching 48.6%.

This month, confirmed cases imported from abroad have been identified in Kenya and Nigeria, heightening concerns over the spread of the infectious disease.

So far, nine people have been confirmed infected in Kenya, resulting in one death. Investigations showed that one of the confirmed cases had recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A 65-year-old woman, who is a close relative of a confirmed patient, also showed symptoms of infection while in isolation and ultimately died.

In Nigeria, one confirmed case reported to have arrived from Uganda has also been documented.

The International Rescue Committee is currently supporting patient isolation, providing personal protective equipment, supplying drinking water, and improving sanitary conditions across 24 locations within the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The International Rescue Committee urged international cooperation, warning that delays in financial support necessary for contact tracing, border quarantine, and the protection of medical personnel could increase the risk of additional infections and deaths.

Video by Park Seon-su
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.