Ebola outbreak caused by new ‘animal transmission’: What that means

The Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has now spread to six provinces. There are growing concerns that the disease could reach the capital, Kinshasa, home to 19 million people. The National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) has prepared facilities for isolating patients in the event of a public health alert in the capital.

The Ministry of Health has set up Cinquantenaire Hospital to admit and fully isolate patients if necessary. However, the virus is spreading faster than health authorities can contain it. This Ebola outbreak is driven by a rare strain for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been approved. With 2,000 lives lost so far and over 4,300 cases recorded, the current health crisis could surpass the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak, which claimed 11,000 lives.

Authorities officially announced the outbreak on May 15, and while the WHO expects the current outbreak to peak in six months, the initial infections can be traced back as early as February. The epicenter of the outbreak is the northeastern province of Ituri, plagued by insecurity, and other cases have been reported in the provinces of North and South Kivu, where security is even more of a problem.

Fear among the population is growing every day. A week ago, a boat was stopped at the port of Maluku, about 40 miles upstream from Kinshasa, with one of the passengers suspected of having Ebola. While tests came back negative, the threat is not confined to Kinshasa. Rapid population movements and ongoing violence in affected areas are contributing to the virus's spread.

Kinshasa's capacity to handle a potential outbreak is a significant challenge, but the Center for Public Health Emergency Response plans to expand its capacity. However, several thousand beds would be needed in the worst-case scenario.