Ebola outbreak in DR Congo strains medical teams amid conflict

Medical teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are working under severe strain as the country's deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak continues to spread, with grave diggers in the eastern city of Bunia digging around the clock to bury victims.

Footage from the affected region showed burial teams at work and a young child receiving care for the infection, while a mother and her baby were treated inside a tent. Drone views captured an Ebola treatment centre, where patients were being cared for as heavy rain fell.

Conditions on the ground are complicated by the security situation. Eastern DR Congo remains an active conflict zone, making it difficult for aid workers to reach remote locations. Roads in the area carried ambulances, United Nations vehicles and armed men.

Fabrice Ngoyi Nsakalumpu, a medical activity manager with Médecins Sans Frontières, described the challenges of responding to the outbreak in his own country. He said it was not easy to see communities affected by Ebola without specific treatment, and to work in an environment marked by violence where patients struggle to access healthcare. He added that teams were managing as best they could despite the difficulties.

The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said signs had emerged in Ituri province of progress against the Bundibugyo virus, the rare species driving the outbreak. He cautioned, however, that the situation involves many outbreaks in many places.

Congolese officials said last week that the outbreak, the fastest-growing on record, had now reached seven provinces and was showing no sign of slowing down.