Congo Ebola Outbreak “Out of Control” Six Months On, MSF Says
Médecins Sans Frontières says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is out of control six months after it was declared. The charity says aid money is not reaching front-line workers, and more than 5,400 people have died.
The Congo Ebola outbreak is still "out of control" six months after it was declared in May, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said, warning that hundreds of millions of dollars meant for the response are not reaching the intended recipients.
More than 5,400 people have died and 11,000 have been infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That makes it the second-most deadly Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
MSF said front-line workers are going unpaid, lack proper training and struggle with shortages of essential supplies. In some cases, ambulances have run out of fuel.
"Despite the vast amounts of money provided for the response, many frontline responders are left trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets," the charity said in its report.
Surveillance gaps
MSF described Ebola monitoring "surveillance teams that exist on paper but are nowhere to be seen on the ground". Contact tracing, which means finding everyone who met an infected person and isolating them, remains "deeply problematic", it said.
Two-thirds of deaths are occurring in communities rather than in treatment centers, according to MSF.
British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson says more than half of cases are going undetected. That means the outbreak is likely to last another year, he says.
"Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunctions they witness in many areas," said MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim. "Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable."
Uneven response
MSF also raised concerns over "excessive concentration" of efforts in certain areas at the expense of others where needs are more urgent. It said the response was "too slow" in North Kivu province, while Haut-Uélé remained "dramatically overlooked".
In both provinces, MSF observed teams that were "inadequately resourced to respond effectively". Health facilities lack items such as water, chlorine and triage systems. MSF said this "has turned some facilities into new centres of transmission, rather than places of care".
The charity urged the Congolese government and UN agencies to "strengthen oversight and accountability" so money already disbursed is used effectively. The Congolese government has been asked for comment.
Missing funds
MSF's warning adds to concerns raised last month by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). It said $700m (£527m) of the $962m disbursed to organizations implementing the Ebola response was unaccounted for.
Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said it was too early to describe the gap as embezzlement. He called it a major transparency and financial reporting failure.
Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said aid agencies must give the ministry details of their work so it can provide oversight. Only 22% had done so, he said. "Our requirement is clear: transparency must be total," Kamba said on X.
The epicenter of the outbreak is in eastern Congo, which has been wracked by conflict for many decades. Some affected areas are under rebel control, and there are very few good roads.
On Thursday, the UN and the Congolese government warned that the worst-hit areas are also suffering a severe food crisis, with almost 10 million people in the region in dire need.
