Fear has gripped Ebola-hit areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the suspected number of deaths continues to rise, and officials say they are struggling to catch up to an outbreak that may have previously been spreading undetected. Ebola has tortured us, says a taxi rider in his late twenties in the gold-mining town of Rwampara. I am scared because people are dying very fast... We are really afraid. Following a visit to Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, over the weekend, Congolese Health Minister Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged health teams were playing catch-up with the virus, which may have been circulating earlier than first detected on 24 April.
The presumed patient zero is a nurse who died in the provincial capital Bunia but was buried in Mongwalu, also a gold-mining town. Most of the suspected cases and deaths have been reported there and in neighboring Rwampara.
As of Tuesday, there were 514 suspected cases, with 136 people believed to have died from the virus, according to officials. Cases have also been identified in Butembo and Goma in North Kivu province, as well as in South Kivu province. International responses include the US announcing $13 million in emergency assistance for DR Congo and Uganda.
The outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and health officials warn its spread into large urban centers presents serious challenges. Health Minister Dr. Kamba emphasized the need to understand how the virus had gone undetected and to enhance community health awareness as part of the response.
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