On July 14 (local time), according to TASS, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the actual scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may be much larger than official figures, with the actual number of cases estimated to be 2 to 4 times higher.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva (Switzerland), Mr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Emergency Medical Program, said that the organization's assessment models show that the actual number of infections could reach about 4,000 - 8,000 cases, instead of nearly 2,000 cases and more than 700 deaths as currently statistically determined.
Through evaluation models with WHO support, we believe that the scale of the outbreak is at least 2 to 4 times higher than the number of cases detected. Every day, our case detection capacity is improved, so the reliability of the data also increases over time," Mr. Ihekweazu said.
According to WHO, one of the reasons why official figures are lower than reality is that most cases are not on the list of people who have had contact with identified patients.
Mr. Ihekweazu said that about 80% of new cases are currently detected from unidentified sources, suggesting that the Ebola virus is still spreading through many infectious chains that health authorities have not yet controlled.
In addition, many Ebola patients died at home without being able to reach medical facilities in time, causing these cases not to be recorded in the official statistical system.
WHO believes that expanding testing, traceability and community monitoring capabilities are decisive factors to accurately reflect the scale of the epidemic, while helping to implement more effective control measures.
Ebola is a dangerous infectious disease caused by a virus, with a high mortality rate if not treated promptly. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood, body fluids or tissues of infected people and animals.
The DRC is one of the countries that regularly records Ebola outbreaks in recent years. WHO and international organizations are still coordinating with the Congolese government to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, treat patients and prevent the risk of the epidemic from continuing to spread.
