Africa CDC Warns of Potential 'Worst-Ever' Ebola Outbreak Amid Resource Shortages

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda shows no signs of slowing down, one month after the initial declaration of the epidemic.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the health agency of the African Union (AU), warned on June 17 (local time) that this could become the "worst-ever" Ebola outbreak.

Speaking at an emergency meeting on Ebola held in Burundi, Director-General Kaseya stated, "If we do not act quickly to stop this outbreak, it will become more severe than what we have experienced in West Africa and the DRC in the past."

Since Ebola was first discovered 50 years ago in 1976, the most devastating impact occurred during the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, which claimed 11,000 lives in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

In the DRC, the epicenter of the current outbreak, a 2018–2020 epidemic resulted in 2,300 deaths.

Kaseya warned that if further spread is not contained, this current outbreak could result in a higher death toll than these previous cases.

He specifically pointed to severe constraints in multiple areas, including a lack of contact tracing capacity, financial difficulties, logistical issues, unofficial cross-border movements, limited testing capacity, a shortage of ambulances, a lack of trained response personnel, and a scarcity of infection prevention and control supplies.

Bruno Michon, who is in charge of the DRC Ebola response for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), stated, "The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has not yet reached its peak," adding, "We are concerned that it could take a year to end this disease."

He also identified community resistance to disease response as a major challenge, noting that IFRC support staff have faced verbal abuse, threats, and physical attacks in the affected areas.

Securing funding for the disease response is also proving difficult.

Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, whose country currently holds the AU chairmanship, stated, "The resources secured so far do not exceed $100 million (approximately 151 billion KRW)."

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa CDC announced plans to deploy $518 million over six months through November to combat the Ebola outbreak in Africa; however, the funds raised thus far amount to only one-fifth of that target.

Director-General Kaseya warned that if funding is not secured within the next four weeks, the required costs will increase exponentially.

The WHO declared a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC) regarding the Ebola outbreak on May 17.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.