Congo Ebola outbreak still out of control after six months, MSF says

Six months into Congo’s Ebola outbreak, many cases are likely being missed, transmission in hospitals ​in some areas is rife and the virus is still spreading out of control, Médecins Sans Frontières said on ‌Thursday. With the number of confirmed cases now surpassing 11,000, the outbreak — declared in mid-May and caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there are no approved treatments or vaccines — is the second-worst on record. Help, however, is not reaching those who need it most, the medical charity said, pointing to untrained and unpaid ​staff, ambulances without fuel and a lack of surveillance teams and supplies to safely manage suspected cases.

“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,” Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, MSF’s international president, said on Thursday. “Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunctions they witness in many areas.

​Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable,” he said.