The medical charity says North Kivu now accounts for almost 40 percent of new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with most deaths happening quietly in homes rather than in treatment centres.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the international medical charity also known as Doctors Without Borders, says the Ebola outbreak in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is now "out of control".
The warning was issued on Tuesday. According to Africanews, the north-eastern province now accounts for close to 40 percent of all newly confirmed Ebola cases across the country.
Most deaths are happening at home
Stephanie Hoffmann, who coordinates the MSF Ebola Treatment Centre in Butembo, one of North Kivu's biggest cities, said the majority of new infections are coming from chains of transmission that health teams cannot trace.
She said 75 percent of Ebola deaths in the area are "community deaths" — people who never reach a treatment or transit centre. That is a serious problem, because families and friends end up caring for the sick and preparing the dead at home, which is exactly how the virus passes on.
Hoffmann said fear is a major obstacle. People are afraid to admit they may have the disease and afraid to seek help. "There's a lot of fear about the disease because it is a very scary disease and there's fear to seek help," she said.
That fear has also pushed patients towards ordinary health centres rather than dedicated Ebola facilities, putting extra strain on general health services.
From the city into the villages
The outbreak in the province started around Butembo town, but Hoffmann said all the neighbouring health zones have now confirmed cases. The virus is moving from the urban centre into rural areas where, in her words, there is "no support whatsoever".
MSF said new hotspots are appearing every week and that treatment facilities in North Kivu are stretched past their limits. The organisation is calling for an urgent expansion of treatment capacity to protect both patients and communities.
The response is also taking place in a dangerous environment. Africanews reported that a politician in Butembo was killed last week, hours after going on a local radio programme to talk about Ebola prevention.
How the outbreak started
The current epidemic began in Ituri province, directly north of North Kivu. It circulated undetected for months. By the time it was officially announced in May, dozens of people had already died.
It is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain of Ebola, and has become the deadliest outbreak in DR Congo's history.
Why Ghanaian readers should pay attention
Ghana is far from North Kivu, but Ebola outbreaks in the region have historically prompted screening at airports and border posts across West and Central Africa. For Ghanaians travelling within the continent, or watching from the United States, the key point from MSF's warning is that the outbreak is still growing and that detection, not just treatment, remains the weak link.
