People living close to the epicentre of a deadly Ebola outbreak have told the BBC of their fear, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.
One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s north-eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said infected people were dying “very fast”, adding: “Ebola has tortured us.”
The virus has killed 131 people in the DR Congo, and officials say more than 513 cases are now suspected in the country. One person has also died in neighbouring Uganda.
The WHO’s Dr Anne Ancia told the BBC that the more the UN agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes that cases have spread to other areas.
Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, released on Monday, suggested there had been “substantial” under-detection and could not rule out that there may already have been more than 1,000 cases.
The study suggested that the current outbreak is “larger than currently ascertained” and that its “true magnitude remains uncertain”.
A man who spoke to BBC News and identified himself as Bigboy said people are “really scared” and are doing what they can to protect themselves.
He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they had access to other protective supplies such as face masks.
Another Ituri resident, Alfred Giza, said people in the community are aware of the threat and are waiting to receive face masks, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease.
The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information, and health systems are overwhelmed, adding: “We are seeing all those conditions” in the current outbreak.
On Tuesday, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi called for “calm” and urged citizens to remain vigilant after holding a crisis meeting on Monday evening.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”.
It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April.
There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fuelling the latest rise in cases, but the WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection.
Speaking to BBC Newsday, Dr Ancia said Ituri province was a “very insecure area with lots of movement of population”, making it difficult for health teams to investigate and control the disease.
She added: “The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across borders and also into other provinces.”
The outbreak has spread to South Kivu province, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.
There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s largest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 and is under the control of Rwanda-backed rebels.
High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around frequently, increasing the risk of the virus spreading, she said.
Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screening and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its border with the DR Congo, while Uganda has advised people to avoid hugging and shaking hands.
An American citizen, believed to be a missionary doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from the DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.
Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.
The WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to try to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventive measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms.
Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to flu, including fever, headache and fatigue.
As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea may develop, and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.
The virus spreads from one person to another through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this outbreak is rare and has previously only caused two outbreaks, during which it killed about a third of those infected.
Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak since its discovery in 1976.
It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.
The disease spread to several countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, killing 11,325 people. (BBC News)
