Exhausted health workers in Congo struggle to keep up as Ebola outpaces contact tracing
Summary
Health workers in eastern Congo are struggling to keep up with the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. Many new cases are found too late because the system to track and monitor people exposed to Ebola is falling behind the virus’s spread.Key Facts
- Ebola has caused over 2,200 deaths and more than 4,700 cases in eastern Congo.
- About 60% to 70% of new Ebola cases are among people not previously monitored as contacts.
- Health workers investigate dozens of alerts daily, trying to find and isolate infected people.
- The outbreak is spreading faster than the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic.
- Surveillance teams work long hours, often late into the night, to track contacts and educate communities.
- The United Nations provided an extra $30.5 million to help fight the outbreak.
- Health workers face risks while visiting homes and working in the affected communities.
- Effective surveillance is crucial to controlling Ebola, as it helps find cases before the virus spreads further.
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