BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo is experiencing a shortage of health workers to staff treatment centers for the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which is noted as the fastest-growing in history. This situation is particularly acute in the eastern province of North Kivu, where cases have surged by 73% over three weeks, according to a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.
Despite some signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths reported by the government. Between August 31 and September 20, cases fell by 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, as stated by Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO's regional emergency director for Africa. However, she noted that transmission patterns vary significantly and the outbreak remains uncontrolled.
"While cases and deaths are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others," Belizaire said. "The outbreak is still not under control and remains spread across a wide geographic area."
The outbreak is exacerbated by challenging conditions, including insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike, and significant population movements. The WHO has indicated that the current outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which resulted in over 11,000 deaths, primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Catherine Smallwood, the WHO's Ebola incident manager, reported that cases and deaths have begun to decline in North Kivu after several weeks of increases. However, despite the addition of treatment beds daily, facilities still lack sufficient staff and partners to operate them.
"The human resources gap is one of the biggest gaps," Smallwood stated.
According to Anne Ancia, the WHO representative in Congo, one Ebola treatment center requires approximately 300 health professionals, including anesthetists, hygienists, nurses, and general practitioners.
"We are building Ebola treatment centers but do not always have the human resources needed to operate them," Ancia said. "Those health workers must be paid."
Frontline workers in Ituri previously went on strike due to unpaid wages, which has worsened access to care. Health Minister Roger Kamba noted in July that the government was verifying payroll lists after names of individuals not involved in the response were added. While officials promised to pay the arrears, some workers reported receiving nothing, while others received only partial payments.
Another significant challenge in the response is the high fatality rate among children. According to the WHO, children under five have the highest case fatality rate at over 60%, compared to approximately 40% among adults. Smallwood highlighted that detecting cases among children under five is particularly difficult because they may not be able to articulate their symptoms, and the presentation of symptoms can be confusing.