Congo's Ebola Outbreak Passes 11,000 Cases, the Country's Deadliest Yet

Congo's Ebola outbreak has topped 11,000 cases, the government said Wednesday, underscoring the severity of what NPR called the country's deadliest outbreak ^[1].

Euronews reported that more than 5,000 people have died so far ^[3], and Al Jazeera put the death toll at 5,387 ^[4]. Since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, Congolese authorities have struggled to contain it because of armed conflict and a crisis in the health system, The Hindu reported ^[2].

Why it keeps spreading

Euronews reported that conflict, strikes and mistrust are all hampering the response ^[3]. Al Jazeera pointed to delayed detection as well as fighting in the affected regions ^[4]. Each of those problems feeds the others. When people distrust health workers, they hide sick relatives or avoid treatment centers. When treatment centers come under attack, patients flee and carry the virus with them.

That is exactly what health workers fear is happening now. The Telegraph reported that Islamic State militants killed dozens of people in a raid on a health post, leaving medical staff and patients afraid, and raising concern that patients who ran from the attack could spread the disease further ^[5].

How Ebola works

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a sick person, or with the body of someone who has died from it. It is not spread through the air like the flu. That is why safe burials, protective gear for caregivers and fast isolation of new cases are the tools that end outbreaks. In a peaceful region with good roads and trusted clinics, those tools work. In a war zone, every one of them is harder.

A sign of progress next door

There is some good news in the region. Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient, starting a 42-day countdown before it can be declared free of the disease, The Independent reported ^[6]. Forty-two days is twice the longest known incubation period, the standard health officials use before declaring an outbreak over.

Why Americans should care

Outbreaks that are not stopped at the source can travel. A disease that kills roughly half of the people it infects, spreading in a region with weak health systems and armed groups, is a danger far beyond Congo's borders. Screening at airports and support for front-line containment are cheaper than fighting Ebola after it has spread. Prevention far from home protects families here.

Faith on the front lines

Christian medical missions have served on the front lines of these outbreaks for generations, often staying when others leave. Doctors, nurses and local health workers are risking their lives every day in eastern Congo. They, and the families mourning thousands of loved ones, deserve our prayers today.

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