Description: The Ebola healthcare crisis in the DR Congo has reached 4 thousand confirmed cases with more than 1.8 thousand deaths as healthcare officials declared the epidemic the largest spreading healthcare crisis in the country’s history. The increased number of cases, ever since the DRC declared the outbreak, was attributed to mishandling of the testing in the beginning stages of the outbreak, DRC’s limited healthcare capacities due to the numerous ongoing conflicts, fragile infrastructure and lack of competent medical professionals. International aid programs have cut their budgets which additionally contributed to limited resources for healthcare professionals and facilities in the country. Officials from the African CDC stated that most of the new cases were identified to have happened outside of previously established transmission chains, which points to limited healthcare surveillance capacities in the country. The outbreak, focused on the Ituri province, is compounded by the ongoing conflicts in eastern DRC, where militants weaponize migration, attack hospitals and kidnap healthcare workers.
Impact: The Ebola crisis in the DRC would likely continue to spread on a national level accelerated by the limited capacities of healthcare facilities and professionals, the ongoing conflicts in the country and the lack of funding within international organizations. The lack of a proven vaccine for the variant of Ebola in the DRC further complicates the situation and would likely contribute towards the spread of disease even further. The conflicts in eastern DRC are the primary cause for migration which could likely intensify the Ebola spread on a national level since healthcare professionals are facing mounting difficulties in tracking infection transmissions. International organizations such as the World Health Organization are facing funding and personnel challenges which prevents the organization from efficiently assisting the DRC healthcare system in a larger capacity. Although the spread of the epidemic is unlikely outside of DRC’s borders, the amount of cases and the transmission rate point to an increase of cases in the immediate term. This could likely lead towards reduced containment capabilities that would enable the expansion of the crisis outside of DRC’s borders in the mid-to-long-term period in case the disease continues to spread unabated.